"Well that guy sounds slightly creepy to me, you should keep away from him." Jessica said before biting into her sandwich.

They were sitting at their lunch table in the cafeteria. It had gotten windy and colder outside so most of the students were eating inside.

"Oh, come on, don't be ridiculous, he's just a little outcast, that doesn't make him bad," Andie replied.

"Doesn't make him good, either! I still say he's creepy." Jessica insisted.

"Tell me one thing in what I described that is really creepy." Andie challenged.

"Yeah, I mean, look at us! How would we have become friends if we thought like that?" Emily pointed out.

"Well, you weren't creepy!" Jessica insisted.

They rolled their eyes. Jessica was kindhearted, but pretty much the most stubborn person you could ever meet.

"Neither is he," Andie said, setting her bottle down. "Really, he's not. He's a little strange, granted... but he doesn't seem like a bad person."

"You're too naive, sweetie," Jessica said, pointing her spoon from her yogurt at her.

"Maybe. But I like to think there's good in all of us. You just have to give it a chance to come out."

Jessica didn't seem convinced. Andie didn't try to change her mind. She knew she wouldn't. It would have to come from Jessica herself. Andie turned to Isabelle.

"What d'you think?"

"I don't know, Andie..." Isabelle said with a sigh. "I mean, you're the only one who really saw him. I guess I'd have to as well, to have an opinion."

Andie sighed. She supposed that made sense. And Isabelle was always very rational and practical. She had almost immediately been dubbed the smart one in the group. Oh, the others were also quite clever, but Isabelle's more reasonable, clinical way of thinking sometimes took precedence over the rest. Jessica for instance, had a sharp mind, but tended to jump to conclusions. Emily was never sure what to think and Andie was often more worried about making the right choice. You have to admit, it's almost never as easy as it sounds.

"So, spill. Who are you going to homecoming with?"

That was Jessica. Straight to the point.

"We don't have to go with anyone, and it's not like anyone's going to ask us," Andie shrugged.

"Not true!" Jessica said. "I was asked by Ben Willows."

Andie raised her eyebrows.

"The captain of the basketball team? You hate the guy."

"I only pretend to hate him. That's the first rule. Never show you like them."

"... No offense, Jess, but that sounds a little ridiculous. I mean, how are you supposed to know if they like you back if you don't tell them?"

"They need to see it!"

"You know how unobservant most boys are in that domain," Emily said. "I mean, I don't think Michael ever would have noticed me if I hadn't gone and talked to him."

Michael was Emily's boyfriend. They had met that summer and had been together for nearly three months now.

"Well, Andie's probably not going to have much trouble finding a date," Jessica grinned.

"What? What's that supposed to mean?" Andie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have the dark stranger," she grinned.

Andie rolled her eyes.

"Ten seconds ago you were telling me to stay away from him!"

"That doesn't mean you can't go on a date with him."

Andie rolled her eyes again. There was nothing to do. Try as she might, she would never understand how Jessica's mind worked. Or even how two such different people could be friends like they were.

"What about you, Isabelle?"

"Oh, I'm not sure I'll go... I didn't when I lived in Fresno, I didn't go out much."

"Why not?"

"It's a little depressing when you're alone," she said uncomfortably.

"But this is Olympia. And you have us now." Andie said.

"I won't if you all have dates." she replied.

"Who says we'll have any?" Emily said.

"I do!" Jessica interjected. "I am not going looking hot as hell without a date!"

The three girls looked at each other and burst out laughing.

The day wore on, and Andie was hurrying to her next class which was History, when she bumped into someone and dropped her books.

"Oh, shoot! Sorry," she said to the girl she'd collided with.

The girl shrugged and walked off while Andie crouched to pick up her books.

"You know those round, colorful things on your face? They're called eyes, I hear they're useful," said a voice beside her.

"Yeah, thanks..." Andie said, not looking up, but rolling her eyes. "I'll remember that next time I-"

She had looked up before she could stop herself. And stared. There, standing in front of her, his bag hanging casually on his shoulder, was...

"You're in my Spanish class," she said.

"I'm flattered you noticed, Picasso," he grinned. "You okay?"

"Uh... yeah. I'm okay, thanks... But I'm especially really late..."

She fumbled about trying to get her books, dropped half of them and flushed when the stranger laughed.

"Here, let me help you..."

"I'll get you late for class," she mumbled.

"I'm done. Come on, I'll walk with you."

Surprised, she found herself say:

"... Okay."

He handed her some of her books.

"Thanks", she said and they made their way up the corridor.

"So what should I call you, Picasso?" he grinned.

She rolled her eyes, but smiled.

'It's Andie."

"Bane."

He held out his hand. She smiled and shook it, even if a little awkwardly because of the books.

"It's funny... I've had several Spanish classes, but I never noticed you..."

"Oh, I was never noticed by anyone much. I like my peace. I pretend I'm not there so after a while everyone else does."

"... Why would you do that? It sounds kind of lonely, if you ask me..."

Bane shrugged.

"I've always felt kind of... separate from anyone else. I felt like they could never really understand me, and that I couldn't either."

"... And yet here we are, talking," Andie pointed out.

"I know... to be honest, you're the first person I've ever actually wanted to talk to, aside from my mother."

"She must mean a lot to you," Andie said.

"... She did. She died when I was a kid."

Andie bit her lip. Her and her big mouth, sometimes!

"Oh... I'm sorry..." she said, embarassed.

"That's okay. You didn't know."

They reached the classroom.

"I'll see you around, then." Andie said.

"Sure."

And he walked off, leaving Andie feeling slightly confused.

She didn't see Bane for the next couple of days. It was only that Friday she spotted him by the water fountain as she was heading to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Picasso," he said when he saw her.

"Hi, Bane," Andie said.

"Andie! You coming?"

Andie looked around. Jessica, Emily and Isabelle were waiting by the cafeteria entrance.

"I'll be right there." she said.

She never quite knew what drew her to this, but she turned to Bane.

"Uh... d'you want to sit with us?"

He looked slightly surprised.

"Sure, why not?" he said.

She smiled and they walked over to join the girls who looked a little surprised but said nothing.

"Guys, this is Bane. Bane, meet Jessica, Emily, and the newest member of our foursome, Isabelle."

"Nice to meet you guys," he said.

"Likewise," Isabelle said, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, same here," Emily said.

Jessica shook his hand too, though Andie thought more grudgingly than the others.

"C'mon, let's go get some food before it's all gone," Jessica said.

They got in line and got their trays before sitting down at a table. There was a slightly awkward silence.

"So Bane, did you finish that essay in Spanish?" Andie asked.

 She was almost sure they all knew she was trying to ease the tension, but what else could she do?

 "Yes," he said, and she thought he looked grateful. "I'm not sure how good it is, but it's finished."

 "Have you been in Olympia long?" Jessica asked, eying Bane across the table. "I was born here and I have to admit I hadn't noticed you before."

 "Oh, I keep to myself a lot, so it's rare when one does notice me," he said with a shrug.

 "Really? Why?" Jessica asked.

 "I don't much like crowds," he said simply.

 "Yet here you are, sitting with us," Jessica pointed out.

"Andie invited me, but if I'm a bother-"

"No, you're not." Andie said firmly. "Jessica, a word?"

They got to their feet and went outside.

"What are you doing? I'm amazed he hasn't already walked off!"

"I'm just being cautious."

"No, you're being intrusive! He's not a criminal on trial! He's done nothing wrong!"

"How do you know, you met the guy three days ago!"

"That doesn't mean he's a bad person! And since when are you so suspicious?"

"I have a weird feeling about him. I don't trust him."

"D'you trust me?" Andie asked.

"Of course, but-"

"Then, you know I wouldn't hang around someone if I didn't think he was okay, right?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Look, I'm not asking you to become best friends. Just give him a chance. If you still feel something's strange, then we'll talk about it. Okay?"

Jessica seemed like she wanted to argue. Andie could tell by her face. But she said:

"Fine."

Then, Andie thought she knew what this was about.

"Hey," she said, squeezing Jessica's hand. "making a new friend doesn't mean I'll love you less. Come on, you know that, right?"

"Yeah..."

"You let me in. And Isabelle. Give Bane a chance too. Okay?"

She nodded and they went back inside.

"Everything okay?" Isabelle asked as Andie and Jessica sat back down.

"Yes, everything's fine," Jessica assured.

"Guys, I don't want to get between you..." Bane began.

"You're not. Jessica is a little wild, but with a heart of gold." Andie said.

"Hey... sorry about jumping at you like I did," Jessica said to Bane.

"That's okay." he said with a smile. "No harm done."

Andie glanced at Jessica with a "See? I told you so" look in her eyes. Jessica shrugged and turned to her bottle of water. Bane quickly fit into the group, or in Andie's opinion, anyway. Jessica still looked a little wary of him, but wasn't openly hostile. Andie supposed she could understand why one would be cautious. Bane was relatively handsome, friendly, and had a bit of a bad boy attitude (though he didn't talk or act like one at all, except for the fact that he preferred to be alone most of the time).

"Hey, can someone pass me the salt, please?" Emily asked.

It was pasta on Thursdays, and Emily always had to add a little pinch of salt to it. Andie and Isabelle, both closest to the salt, reached out for it at the same time. As they did so, their hands brushed against one another. They would have thought nothing of it if Andie hadn't felt something strange. She would never find the exact words to describe it but it was like a red hot and ice cold sensation both at the same time. Whatever it was, they both jumped.

"Whoa!"

"What is it?" Bane asked.

"Uh..."

"Did you... feel that?" Andie asked Isabelle.

"Probably just static electricity, nothing more," Isabelle said, picking up the salt and passing it to Emily.

"Yeah, probably," Jessica said, munching her apple.

Andie wasn't so sure, but she couldn't think what else it was, so she said nothing. They were probably right. And anyway, it had only been a split second and would most likely never happen again. But still it bothered her. She wasn't even sure why. Or, no, she thought she did. It was the way Bane had glanced at them during the incident, again with that hint of apology in his eyes and... resignation, she'd thought. She'd looked at him, to try and see more clearly, but of course he'd looked away at once with a smile. So Andie had forced a smile and pretended to forget about the whole thing. But questions buzzed endlessly in her mind. Why would Bane look like that? She knew it was ridiculous, but she couldn't help but wonder if he'd somehow expected jolt that to happen.

Andie couldn't get the incident out of her head all day. Even that evening, as she worked on her maths homework, she found it hard to concentrate. She considered calling Bane and asking him, but had a strong feeling it wouldn't work. And she didn't know him well enough yet to know which angle to use to get her answers. Besides, she was more comfortable doing it face to face, even if it made her ten times more nervous. He'd probably think she was crazy. And honestly, she was almost beginning to wonder too. Had she really seen what she thought she'd seen, or had it just been her imagination running wild? It wouldn't have been the first time, her parents had always said she had more imagination than anyone they knew. Yes, it was most likely just her mind playing tricks on her. She shook her head and tried to solve her equations. Ugh! She'd always hated those. But that was what they were studying, so, her liking them or not had little importance. After an hour she'd finally finished. Just in time, too, because Hannah came in as she put her pen down.

"Mom says dinner's ready and told me to come get you," she said.

Andie got to her feet.

"And I told you you're supposed to knock before coming into someone else's room, Hannah," she said with a smile. "Come on."

They went down the stairs and into the living room where Andie's father Hank was putting everything on the table. Her mother, though full of qualities, was a terrible cook. Her father on their other hand was excellent at it, so it hadn't taken long for everyone to agree to leave him in charge of meals. He'd taught Andie, so she could take over if there was ever need for it. And thankfully, she seemed to have been spared her mother's klutziness in the kitchen. which was lucky, because sometimes her father was late, on a trip, or tired, so she could take care of getting everyone food.

"So, how was your day?"

Andie almost considered telling them about the weird feeling she'd had, but thought better of it. Her parents would probably say it was just static electricity. And she had to admit maybe she was reading too much into it... Yes. That was it. She read too many fantasy novels. After all, what else could it have been? So she simply answered:

"Oh, same as usual. Class, hanging out with the girls..."

"I see. Ever hang out with any boys?" her mother asked.

"Mom..."

"Come now, honey, Andie isn't interested in anything like that, she's too young." Hank said.

"She'll be turning eighteen soon, sweetheart," Lauren said.

"Exactly! Hardly the age to think about going out with boys."

"Dad!" Andie sighed. "I'm not a baby. But if it gives you any comfort, I'm not interested in having a boyfriend at the moment."

"Oh, well... That's... not what I meant," he said, though she could tell he was clearly relieved.

"Anyway, I have homework to do," Andie said. "Thanks for dinner, Dad."

She finished her meal, put her plate in the sink and headed upstairs to her bedroom.

Andie managed to put the "static electricity" incident aside as she did her homework. And that was a good thing, because her essay about the second world war wasn't an easy one. She was only about halfway through it after an hour but decided that she needed a break. She leaned back in her chair with a sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. Stella, her black cat with white socks and big yellow eyes hopped onto her lap and curled up into a ball.

"Hey, you... you wouldn't know anything about the second world war, would you, by any chance?"

Stella miaowed as if to say "What? What in the world are you talking about?" and peered up at her curiously. Andie sighed and stroked her head.

"No, of course you don't. You're a cat, you don't really care for History, do you?"

Stella merely purred. Andie smiled and went back to her essay, immersing herself in her work. She had always thought how much she would have hated living in that period. Although, with her blond hair she would probably have been safer than many other people. A part of her wondered if the second world war was a sort of theme, because she was also studying Anne Frank's diary in English class. It was a little more complicated with a seven pound cat on your lap, but at least it felt less lonely. Since she had become friends with Jessica, Emily, and now Isabelle and Bane, she realised how much she hated being alone. She picked up her pen and set off again. After a long time, she finally finished. It was due the next Monday, and it was only Thursday but Andie didn't want her birthday to revolve around Hitler and the concentration camps. But at long last, she was done She heaved a sigh of relief and put down her pen.

"Stella, you're sweet, but I need you to get off..." she smiled picking up her cat before getting to her feet.

Stella wriggled slightly in protest, but let Andie set her down on the floor. Andie ran a hand through her uncomfortably short hair, her warm brown eyes looking into the distance through her window at the setting sun. She'd always loved the color of sunsets or sunrises. She had never exactly known why, but they had a strangely soothing effect on her. Her mother had once told her she was almost always sad on rainy days and happy on sunny days. And at night, the first night light she'd chosen had been shaped like a sun. And for some reason, she never caught sunburns. She could lie for hours in it and net even sweat. But she somehow tanned beautifully.

"Yet my hair stays woefully short," she muttered to herself.

 ****************************

Is Stella the cutest cat or what? I'm more of a dog person, myself, but I see why people love them (or is that they're all possessed by the evil Cat Emperor...? Hmmm)

Which are you, a Dog-lover of Cat-addict? Or maybe it's both! Let us know in the comments!

What is with that strange jolt Andie felt? Let's find out in the next chapter!