"Granna, I get it! But I really don't need any new clothes!" I scrunched my wet shoulder-length curls. I was getting so tired of it. It was just another stupid school year with the same stupid people. I wished I could be whisked away and never come back to this town ever again.

"Ansler, darling, please! It's the least I could do." It's always the least she could do. Her tone was melodramatic, something I tried not to deal with this early in the morning.

I rolled my eyes. "Granna, we've been through this, Mom doesn't like when you take care of us. We're doing okay right now. I appreciate the offer, but I just can't."

Her look alone said more pity than words could ever say. I scrunched my hair a few more times with the leftover product before leaving my bedroom. Granna insisted on me staying at her house when Mom worked overnights. She didn't dislike the job, she just disliked being away so much. "You could find a cute outfit to wear instead of those," She stumbled looking for the right words. "Preripped jeans and worn out band t-shirts. And all the black, dear child, find some life!"

I found her exasperation humorous, though she wasn't far from the truth. Some would call this look 'emo', I liked to call it 'at least it matches.' Not to mention black was a nice color. It slimmed my already too thin body, as my grandmother would say. Her words seemed to tamper my view of my 'harsh' personality. Remembering such things told me why I was this way, and why I'd continue to do so. It covered up, and that's all that mattered.

The doorbell rung once, and then again. Granna yelled for Donatello, her butler, to answer the door. She doesn't seem to like him that much, but I think she kept him around to keep her company. My grandfather passed a few years ago, so it was hard for her sometimes to talk to someone. She hated the silence; they'd sit together for hours just talking. I missed him more and more, he was like the father I never had. But now that he was gone, Granna became obsessed with my life; not that she wasn't before.

Donatello opened the door as I exited the hallway that lead to my room. In stepped the neighbor boy. His name was unfamiliar to me, but he seemed to know mine.

"Good morning, Ansler." He smiled for a little too long. Realizing I wasn't going to reply, he spoke again. "I'm here to mow the yard. Mrs. Grandine told me to stop in before I started. If she isn't in—"

"Fridley! I'm so glad you could stop in!" Granna appeared from the living room. "I was going to give you your paycheck from last week, let me find it." She disappeared again down the hallway.

We both watched as she disappeared. I turned back to him, noticing he was looking around the house. I took in his appearance. It was more plain for a boy with such wealth, at least I had assumed. He had neatly combed hair, it was dark and smooth. His skin was a tanned pale, I assumed was from mowing yards. I had seem him throughout this past summer in various yards. He wore a nice shirt for working, and a pair of cargo pants.

After a very long awkward silence, Granna appeared with the check, as did Donatello with the keys. "Here's your check, son. The mower is where it usually is!"

"Thank you Mrs. Grandine." He grabbed the check, and turned to me. "Good luck at school today. First day?"

I snatched my keys from the butler. "Yep." Was all I said as I made my exit. I threw my backpack in the car last night so I could get out of the house as fast as possible.

"Goodbye Ansler! Have a good day!" Granna called before I closed the door.

"Yep! Bye!" Was all I left with. I was ready to get this day over with as fast as possible.

The commute was but five minutes from this house, another reason why Granna insisted Mom and I live with her. I blasted my music from the radio and jammed all the way there. I was trying to forget that I was about to enter the worst year of high school, or so I had been told.

I pulled up to the school parking lot and parked to the far left of the school. I wasn't about to get cat-called by the stoners this early in the game, not this year. I got out of the car and scrunched my hair a little more. It was pretty much dry, as I walked into the foyer of the high school.

I spotted the one person who would make this school year better, and that would be my best friend, "Rylan!" His tall, slim body covered head to toe in black stood out from our small friend group. I rushed over to them, but while I was running a glimpse of something familiar caught my eye.

Curly, blonde locks, fair skin, a face too well known but not at the same time. I tried to shrug it off as I rushed to my friends. This was going to be a very strange school year.