The majority of homeroom was spent trying to avoid conversation with Luke. He was a rather kind boy, and I found that I enjoyed listening to him prattle on while North occasionally would interject and tell him to let me get a word in. Whenever North would interfere, I would quickly reassure that I liked listening to Luke, and then a small amount of bickering between North and Luke would ensue.

It wasn't exactly the worst way to spend homeroom, but it didn't allow me the proper amount of time to ready myself for what the rest of the school day would be like. As Luke babbled about something having to do with chocolate, I mindlessly nodded along as my eyes concentrated on the clock, eyes narrowed on the hand as it came closer and closer to the end of homeroom. I wasn't prepared, and I thought I might begin hyperventilating as the bell rang.

I even might have blacked out slightly when the shrill sound filled the room and my grip on the desk tightened ten fold.

I only settled back down on Earth when Luke, who was standing in front of my desk, asked, "Sang, are you okay?"

I took a deep breath, and flashed him my Trust Fund Baby smile that was utilized almost constantly in order to please the public and my parents. Luke seemed to relax at the sight of my smile and I scooped up my things before he could do so. I didn't need anyone worrying over me; I had gotten by with only my brother's and myself for a very long time and I could continue to do so.

"I'm okay," I reassured him, shuffling my feet as we got stuck behind a group of teenagers who thought that the doorway was the absolute best place to have their absolutely important conversation. Irritation spiked in my bloodstream, and from the look on North's face, he shared the sentiment. My eyes rolled into the back of my head and then my foot was connecting with the back of one of the boy's feet. "Hey, I know you're not used to binge punctual to places, but I am so find a new location for your conversation on who's the hottest in homeroom."

The boy who I had kicked turned to face me and shot me a dirty look, but I schooled my face into one of precise indifference. It was another look I had mastered: when the rich bitches at my old school would talk about their new gifts from their daddy I had worn it without a second thought, and I slipped into it sometimes without knowing it when Marie talked to me.

"This isn't the rich side of town anymore, princess," the boy sneered at me and North took a step towards him, obviously not liking the threatening tone he had towards me.

I shook my head at North, letting him know that I had it under control. Growing up with three brothers who had big mouths and no filters along with a sister who found herself in cat fights often had conditioned me into stepping into fights. "You're right. This isn't the rich side of town, but I'm sure my brother, Zain Sorenson, wouldn't have an issue with laying your ass on the ground. Or you know, I could take a go at you. He did teach me a thing or two."

At the mention of my oldest and most fearsome brother, the boy paled some and ushered his friends out of my way. I grinned widely and sent a wink his way, before slipping through the doorway, my pace faster than regular due to the fact that I didn't exactly fancy being late to class just as I had told the door blocking asshole. Luke and North immediately matched my pace, both staring at me, as if waiting for an explanation.

No explaination would be offered, not only because I didn't have one, but also because my anxiety and nerves had hit me full force and I began to tremble uncontrollably. Even if I didn't mind name dropping my brother like that, it didn't mean I should. It was easier to bullshit when I knew that my brothers were in the same vicinity as me, but I had to remember that I was all alone, barely over 5 foot, and a nervous mess.

When I didn't say anything, Luke nudged me gently, causing me to flinch away. He was interrupting my process of trying to calm myself down before class. I sent an irritated glance his way, briefly wondering how easy it would be to ditch them and if friends were as overrated as people made them out to be. I brushed away the thought nearly instantly, knowing that without the protection of my brothers, I would need at least someone to go to, and Victor and his strange group of friends might be it.

The entire walk was silence, most probably credited to the fact that the boys had caught on to the state I was in. If I didn't settle myself before arriving to class it could result in an anxiety attack and I couldn't afford one of those on my first day of school.

Luckily, by the time we had arrived at the trailer, we were on time and I was completely back to normal. North paused at the door, almost as if he was preparing to say goodbye, but instead of speaking, he just exchanged a meaningful glance with Luke, then carried on his way. Luke rested a tentative hand on my arm and gently guided me into the trailer then over to where Kota was sitting.

Kota smiled when he spotted me, and I smiled back, genuinely happy to be back in his presence. I waved slightly and he jerked his head to the empty seat behind him. I beamed, grateful at the fact that he had thought to save me a seat. His smile widened at the sight of the look on my face.

I slid into my seat, and Luke sat behind me. I huffed and leaned my head against the back of my chair, taking a moment to close my eyes and try to keep my sanity in tact. This moment was completely ruined by a loud voice startling me so badly that I almost tumbled out of my seat.

"Oy, who's the pretty girl?"

My eyes snapped open and a hand fluttered over my racing heart. A boy who was about as tall as Victor and as lean as Luke stood over me, his head tilted to the side like a puppy as he studied me. His blue eyes had me entranced me and I tore mine green ones away so I could thoroughly scan him over. His hair was chin length and most of it was a rich brown but there were two blonde streaks on either side that framed his face perfectly.

I made the decision that I enjoyed his style, and especially liked the hoops and crystals that decorated his ears, as well as the rings that shone in the shitty trailer lighting.

"Sang Sorenson," Luke introduced me, and I smiled softly. I was too shy and nervous to speak; I had used up all my courage back in homeroom. "Sang, this is Gabriel Coleman, one of our friends. Gabe, be nice. She's new."

"Well, obviously," Gabriel said, rolling his eyes and slumping into the desk to the left of me. "I would have noticed her around here before."

"Seriously?" I squeaked.

Gabriel stared at me, and then his lips slowly spread into a grin. "Oh, my god. You're fucking adorable. Too cute. Isn't she cute, Kota?"

Kota was turned in his seat so he could face all of us, and a smile had formed on his face as well, green eyes on me. "Yes. She's very cute."

My face must have been burning up at this point, and I sunk low in my seat, covering my face with my hands. The boys' laughter filled my ears and I shook my head, thinking that at the very least my embarrassment could bring them some amusement. The moment passed fairly quick as the teacher called our attention to the front of the class.

My next class passed in blissful contentment much to my joy. It was History, and both Victor and North were in that class with me. We only went over the syllabus and the entire time, I tapped my pen on the desk, too jittery to really sit still. This resulted in North resting a hand on my back several times, attempting to get me to let up, but I wasn't really able to go more than two minutes without doing so.

During the last ten minutes of class, Victor informed me that I actually only waited one minute and 42 seconds before starting up again.

"I'm going to take your pen away from in Geometry if you pull that shit in there," North grumbled, running his hands over his face.

My eyes narrowed and I tucked the pen between my butt and the chair. "I'd like to see you try to take it from me while it's there."

The look that formed on North's face had Victor and I laughing, and it was one of the only times that day I was truly able to relax. Even though part of me wished I would have remained at my private school, bored to death but in the same building as my siblings, my fondness for Ashley Waters grew the more time I spent with Victor's group of friends.

When the bell rang, Victor grabbed my things and North asked for my schedule as we stepped into the hallway, prepared to walk to the library for study hall. He studied it then looked up and raised his eyebrows questioningly at me. I returned the look, daring him to ask the question he had on his mind.

"Piano? Physics?" He asked, his voice present with shock that I somehow just knew would be present at the sight of my schedule.

"You're looking at a violin protege who very much enjoys piano, but can only play like two songs. I want to expand my horizons," I said, a grin on my face. "As for physics, how the hell do you expect me to expand my knowledge on mechanical engineering and modify my car engine if I'm not knowledgeable in physics?"

"You like piano?"

"You like mechanical engineering?"

I wanted to laugh at their expressions but instead felt anxiety rising in me once again. Had I said the wrong thing? Would they think that I was weird for liking such a variety of subjects? Wouldn't Victor at least understand? I was very much uncertain and unsure of our blooming friendship.

Victor seemed to notice my sudden hesitance. His hand shot out and caught mine before it could rise to pinch my lip to my teeth. He held it tightly and rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand reassuringly. My anxiety lessened some, and the tenseness in my shoulders relaxed.

"It's okay," he muttered to me.

I was tempted to ask him how he noticed when my fears began to seize me, but we had arrived at the library, and five sets of eyes were on me. My own eyes widened and I sidled behind North, attempting to hide myself as I had done earlier that morning. I was unfamiliar with two of the boys, and I wasn't sure that I was prepared for even more human interaction.

Call me Courage The Cowardly Dog, but I thought if I had to talk to one more stranger that day I might just pass out or spontaneously combust.

Peeking around North, I managed to study the two new boys though.

One of them sat left of Kota, and had red-brown hair that looked softer than a rabbit's. He had blue crystals for eyes that were focused on Luke as he spoke to him, and his arms were folded across his chest, accentuating his muscled biceps. He was handsome, just like all the other boys I had met thus far. He was nearly as buff as North, and while the thought scared me, it also stirred something inside me.

The other boy was probably as tall as North, but slightly bigger and stronger than him and the red head. He had deep black hair and dark eyes that were scanning the room, as if searching for someone. He had an olive skin tone that made him look a little exotic, and his plump lips were pushed down into a frown.

I had the very sudden and real urge to run the fuck away and vomit into the sinks of the girls bathroom. I turned to do just that when my name was called out and my cover was blown. Tears formed in my eyes; I wasn't quite ready to deal with such a large group of boys who all seemed to give me attention I truly didn't want. Why couldn't my mother just let me be homeschooled, damn it?

I turned to face the group of boys who had been trying to draw my attention to them, and forced a smile. It wasn't that I didn't like them, because if I was being truthful, I really enjoyed their company. I would love to spend more time with them, but I thought that I might burst into tears if they stared at me one moment longer.

Kota had to have noticed my distraught because he was rising out of his chair, his eyes intent on me, a frown on his face. "Sang? Is everything okay?"

I opened my mouth to assure him that I was just fine, but instead of words, a sob came out instead. I covered my face with my hands in order to hide the water works and to shield me from their looks as well. I felt stupid for breaking down, but at the same time, in the past few days I had been through a good amount of stress and god damn it all felt good to cry like a real woman.

"Boys? Is everything okay here?"

I peeled my hands away from my face in order to see who had spoken, but was shocked to see yet another man had joined the party. He looked to be older though, perhaps a teacher, but just as handsome with sandy blonde curls, green eyes, and a friendly smile. The smile fell away as soon as he caught sight of my face, though.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice soft as he addressed me.

"Nothing," I quickly spoke up, already embarrassed enough.

"You're not fucking okay," Gabriel argued, shaking his head, a concerned frown on his face. I didn't think it matched well with his personality and I wished that he would smile again like he had in English. "You just started crying. That's not okay."

"It is too." I shot back, feeling childish for that come back, but not in the mood to have to explain myself.

"Sweetheart," the green-eyed possible teacher cooed. "You can tell me if you're not okay. Not only am I a teacher, but I am also a doctor. I'm here to help. Let's start simple. I'm Dr. Green. What's your name?"

I sighed. "Sang... My name is Sang. And I'm really okay. I'm sorry for worrying everyone."

In order to prove to everyone that I was just fine, I took a seat next to the dark haired boy with soulful dark eyes and flashed him an award winning smile. I proceeded to flash the same smile to everyone else who sat around the table, and leaned back in my seat, attempting to relax. I once again wished I had a phone on me so I could text Knox and he could talk me down.

"Sang, is it?" The redhead addressed me, his eyes still portraying concern for me, but his face friendly and welcoming. "I'm Nathan, it's really nice to meet you. Luke and Gabriel have been talking my ear off about you."

"Have they?" I inquired while raising my eyebrows at the pair in question. The two only flashed me bashful grins then Luke shrugged and Gabriel mouthed 'cute' to me, causing my face to erupt in flames again.

"They were right," the dark haired boy sitting beside me said. "You're gorgeous. I'm Silas, by the way."

"Nice to meet you boys." I tucked hair behind my ears, and smoothed it away, trying to make myself presentable once again. "Sorry for the pretty awful first impression. I'm a lot cooler once you get to know me."

The last part was mostly a lie. I had always thought of myself as pathetic and boring, but the boys seemed to think otherwise. All of them had taken an interest in me, and found me somewhat intriguing. I appreciated that they thought I was a lot more fun than I actually was, but it made me wonder what they would do once they found out I was nowhere near as cool as they had originally thought.

Girls with anxiety, shitty parents, and overprotective brothers were not cool. They were typically deemed a mess and a social outcast, but these boys had proven me otherwise. They had taken a general interest in me, made me feel good about myself, something that my brothers could usually only achieve. And if I was being really honest, it scared the actual shit out of me.

But I did what I did best: faked a smile, hid my insecurities, and made conversation all the while hoping and praying for the best. 

a/n: If Sang's character seems a little contradictory currently, then I'm sorry. The pieces for her character will fall together once you see how her family is with each other. But anyways, she's met almost all of the boys!! And you meet the rest of her siblings next chapter!! Thoughts?? (And I promise you there will most likely be more funny parts coming soon.)

Song: Love Somebody by Maroon 5

-ry