"Alright, so you can go during first and second lunch, Sarah?" Mr. Kyle asked, looking down at his calendar.

Computer science. This class was my safe haven. None of my friends were in this class with me. It was like someone I could just be me. Not Joshua's girlfriend, Jeremiah's therapist, or Marion's little sister. It's not like I don't like being those things. Just sometimes, I feel like they aren't what's important about me. It's just I want to be just Sarah.

I nodded, giving him a bright smile, "Yeah, Coach Miller shouldn't really mind since I usually finish my work."

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I knew it was Jeremiah. He was the only one who would have the time to message me at this time. Him and Joshua were in the same class, yet Jeremiah always finished his work early in order to message me. The only problem is that I had to be sneaky about it.

I looked over at Mr. Kyle, "May I go to the restroom, it's an emergency."

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, mumbling an approval. I got up quickly, grabbing my bag. I scurried out the classrooms as if it was an actual emergency, like last time. Slipping out the door, I quickly walked to the bathroom, looking around to see if anyone else was in the halls. I quickly entered the bathroom, pulling out my phone.

Jeremiah: Hey, we need to find out more about the new kid

I chuckled quietly to myself. Jeremiah was a bit of a nosey person when it came to new people. It wasn't to the point where it was overbearing. It's more about curiousity. And who wouldn't be curious? It's not everyday we get new students at our school.

Me: His name is Gabe Carter, he's from Redridge High school, and he's a junior

Jeremiah: wait did you meet him?

Me: No, but we have first period together

At first I had thought about messing with Jeremiah, but couldn't think about anything funny to say. I checked the time, seeing that it was almost time to go. After quickly telling Jeremiah I had to pack up, I put my phone in my pocket and walked out the bathroom.

Walking back into the classroom I walked straight to my computer. I started logging out, putting in the password to confirm, watching as the screen went back to the log in window. I took a deep breath, putting my binder in my backpack, zipping it putting it on.

"Sarah, remember, next week, first and second lunch, courtyard," Mr. Kyle said to me, writing on a sticky note.

I nodded, "I'll remember."

As soon as the bell rang, I walked out into the halls, leading to the doors of the gym. The computer science lab, cafeteria, and nurse's office was in another hallway on the other side of the gym, so it only gave students just enough time to get to class without stopping or anything. Coach Miller was pretty strict with tardiness, but not enough to actually write us up. He only did that if he was feeling petty. I mostly was quiet in his class. Last semester there wasn't anyone that I got along with. And honestly I did not intend to try and get along with anyone.

I pushed the doors open to the main hall, trying to walk as quick as I could to class. I wanted to talk to Coach Miller before class could begin. I dodged students who were walking to their next class or just talking in the middle of the hallway. I kept a quick pace, almost getting to the classroom before freezing, seeing someone approaching me. It was Gabe.

He seemed a bit frustrated and nervous, "Um, Hi. Sarah, right?"

"Yes, is there something I can help you with?" I asked, my voice sounding very gentle and polite.

"I'm sorry to bother you but," He looks down at his schedule, huffing, "I can't find my next class."

I reached my hand out for his schedule. He held it out to me, and I take it, looking down at his third period. Computer science. Which meant if I helped him, I'd be late for class. I looked at the clock, having only three minutes before having to get to class.

Looking at him, I said, "Come on, but we have to hurry."

Before he could respond, I started heading back in the direction of the gym. I kept a quick pace, not even having to look back to know he was keeping up. I counted each second down, knowing I was running out of time. I knew I was not able to be back in time. I just hoped that Coach Miller would cut me some slack. Especially on the first day back.

Getting to the gym doors I open them, pointing to the doors almost directly across from us, "Go through those doors, first door on the left, his name is Mr. Kyle."

"Thank you so much," He gave me a soft smile before walking past me, to the doors.

I watched him for a moment, making sure he made it to the doors. Then before I knew it, the bell had sounded, meaning I was late. I huffed, turning and walking back towards my class. This time, I took my time since I was already late. I counted my steps, as if they were seconds that I was late. Each step I took echoed in the empty halls. I was surprised that everyone went to class on time. Usually you'd still see some of the students roaming in the halls like they had no where else to be. Today, it was like they all cared about their education.

Getting to Coach Miller's door, I didn't want to go in. I already knew there was gonna be some type of snarky remark. He had more sass than half the girls in our high school, and that is pretty bad. I could hear him starting to talk about today's lesson. He began with explaining chemicals compounds and whatnot. Taking a deep breath, I finally knocked on the door, sounding a little quiet, but enough for him to hear.

He stopped speaking, and I couldn't tell if he was walking towards the door or not. I waited for a moment, before the door opened. Looking up, Coach Miller stared down at me, obviously annoyed. I didn't move, his eyes seeming to pierce right through me.

He finally spoke, "Why are you late, Miss McKinley?"

"I... I," I cleared my throats trying to speak calmly and clearly, "I had to show someone to their class, I'm very sorry Coach Miller."

He opened the door enough for me to step inside the classroom. Once inside, I looked around, seeing everyone's eyes on me. I felt a bit uncomfortable, scanning all of their faces, until my eyes landed on his. His green eyes held mine for a few moments, seeming to make time almost stop. I felt my heart flutter a bit in my chest as it became hard to breathe. He gave me his usual soft smile. It was always for me.

Coach Miller brought me back to reality, deciding to make a snide comment, "Marion was always on time no matter the circumstances."

"Too bad you're stuck with me, huh?"

A lot of chuckles and snickers travelled through the class. Coach Miller glared at me for my comment, but said nothing of it. He asked me to have a seat next to Joshua, before turning his back to me to write something on the board. I walked to the back of the classroom, I tried not to look at Joshua as I set my things beside my chair. I could feel his gaze zeroed in on me. Sitting down, I tried to keep my eyes ahead, hoping he would do the same. Coach Miller went back to teaching the lesson, everyone seeming to be listening to him now.

I let my mind drift off to Marion. I love her, of course. She is my sister. I just hated living in her shadow. She was the golden child. She was gorgeous, smart, popular. She was pretty much the type of girl that every little girl dreams of being when then got to high school. She graduated the year before, but she was still all the teachers could talk about. She was valedictorian, made almost perfect grades. She pretty much set a high goal for the rest of us. I mean, of course she had a bad attitude, but she was the perfect student. It was hard living in her shadows. All of your achievements being overshadowed but your older sibling, it sucks. Our mother seemed to haven't highschool expectation forever used. Higher than I could ever reach. But Marion exceeded them. I always felt as though Marion was my mother's favorite. That her presence meant more to her than mine did. I thought how easy it might be to be perfect like her. Being the perfect Student, perfect girlfriend, friend, daughter. It seemed as though she could do nothing wrong. And that's what I envied about her.

I felt something poke my side, bringing me back to reality. I winced, glaring at Joshua. He held a pencil, that was aimed for my side, and wore an innocent smile on his face. I wondered what had possessed him to do it. Part of me wanted to hit him back in instinct. He leaned in, kissing my cheek quickly, before going back to listening to Coach Miller. I felt my cheeks get hot, covering them quickly and turning to the board.

Coach Miller gestured to the drawings on the board, "Now, we are going to get into pairs and do an experiment. Everyone choose your partners."

Expecting Joshua to go along with one of his friends, I looked around to see if anyone was willing to pair with me. But instead, he placed his hand on the small of my back gently, quickly getting my attention. His touch sent a shock through my body, startling me a little.

I looked at him quickly as he raised an eyebrow to me, "Partners?"

I nodded, not saying anything. My mind was scattered, hard to think. I looked around at the other pairs, hearing as Coach Miller told us to come get the supplies. I think Joshua saw this, because instead of the usual of him asking me to get them, he stood and went for them. I looked down at my hands, closing my eyes, trying to focus. Sometimes this would happen if I got too stressed or began overthinking. I tried to focus on where I was, and what we were doing. Chemistry class, small experiment. I tried to calm my mind, trying to clear my head. I took a deep breath, focusing on the chatters amongst the other students

I felt Joshua's hand touch my shoulder, "Sarah?"

I looked up at him, his eyes showing the concern I knew he felt, "I'm alright, Joshua, I promise."

He nodded, setting the supplies on the table. Looking at the tray, there was a lemon, a nail, a piece of copper, and a lightbulb on an electrical plate. While kids were getting their supplies, Coach Miller passed out packets for the experiments. When passed ours, I began reading through it. We were supposed to use this lemon to light the lightbulb. I looked at the procedure, while Joshua went to work on the experiment. He was never the type to care about instructions. Though I was the type to read through the instructions, sometimes I did put them aside to see what he could do without them. It was amusing to see what he could come up with. A lot of times he could figure out what to do. Others, it would look very ridiculous.

I finished reading the instructions, putting them aside. I looked at Joshua, who was already working on it. So far, he had the right idea. He had the lemon, seeming to be deep in thought as he picked up the nail, starting to slowly work the tip of it into the side of the lemon carefully. Joshua was pretty smart sometimes. He had trouble in some classes, but in any type of math or science, he seemed to know what he was doing. His father was actually our geometry teacher, and it was very difficult trying to hide our relationship from him. Honestly his dad was really kind, Joshua was just hellbent on not telling him. And I had to respect that.

I watched as he did the same thing with the piece of copper. he slowly worked it into the lemon, seeming very focused. Part of me wanted to help, but I knew he would not let me. always such a independent person. I grabbed the packet again, looking at the questions. Reading through them, I tried to also pay attention to what Joshua was doing. he set the lemon down, picking up the mini jumping cables, clipping them to the copper and the nail, before grabbing the lightbulb, doing the same to the electrical plate.

At first, nothing happened. At first I thought it was a joke. Did we waste our time? Or did we do it wrong? slowly, the lightbulb began glowing dimly. It had a very faint glow, but it was definitely illuminating. I looked over at Joshua, smiling. He looked at me, his eyes lighting up just like our lightbulb did. It was so cute.

I guess that Coach Miller noticed our project, because he was soon behind us, inspecting it. He seemed skeptical, looking closely at it, at every little detail. At first it made me nervous. I started wondering if he missed something. I wanted to snatch it away from Coach Miller's sights and fix it. I didn't know what would be wrong, but I would do everything I could to figure it out. I looked at the packet quickly, wondering if he had missed a part of the process. Reading through it, I kept mental note of everything Joshua had did. He didn't miss anything. It was so simple, there was no way he missed something.

Before he could speak, the bell rang. Lunch. I got up quickly, walking to the door, with Joshua right behind me. Walking out the classroom, I could see kids fill the hallway, coming from and going to the cafeteria. I tried to weave through the students, avoiding bumping into any of the others. From behind me, I feel someone grab my arm. Looking back, I see that it's Joshua. he was trying to keep up the entire time. Usually we would try and walk together, the days one of us was not trying to leave the other behind. Today I had a mission. A goal in mind.

I pulled my arm away, starting to walk again, this time at a slower pace. I didn't want to leave him behind. I didn't want him to think something was wrong. Because nothing was. At least that's what I thought. Exiting the hall, I walked through the gym with Joshua on my heels. by the doors on the other side, Jeremiah was waiting for us. I smiled brightly, waving at him. He looked over, smiling before jogging to us. Jeremiah has been one of my only friends. he is the only one I trust with everything. I even trusted him more than Joshua, but that's normal, right?

When he finally got to us, he put an arm around my shoulder and Smiled at the boy of us, "Hey!"

I gave him a small smile, with a wave. Joshua only gave a small wave, staying silent. I could tell something was bothering him, but I couldn't think of what it was. It was weird. he never really let anything bother him. it had me kind of worried. I glanced at Jeremiah, who seemed to have noticed as well, glancing back at me. We both said nothing, beings that he would just brush us off.

Joshua looked in between us, hiding the burden he felt behind this mask, "Are we going to go to lunch or just stand here?"

I shook my head, staying quiet before walking in. Everyone was buzzing, rushing to their friends. You could feel the excitement radiating off of everyone. It made me a bit uneasy. I took a deep breath, walking to the line, which was pretty short, since we beat most of the students there. Joshua and Jeremiah sat at our usual tables, since they had their own lunches. Thinking back to the days when there were four of us, it made me sad. the only other girl, the only one I could talk to about stuff that I went through. It wasn't like I didn't trust the boys, it was just different having another girl to talk to. Now she had new friends, and it feels like forgot about us. Like she abandoned us. And it hurt to think about.

I felt my stomach turn, and suddenly I wasn't hungry anymore. I took a deep breath, stepping out of line and walking to our table. Jeremiah looked at me, cocking his head to the side, his eyes showing his confusion. I sat down slowly, it grabbing Joshua's attention as well.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Jeremiah asked, obviously concerned.

"No," I shook my head, "I am not really hungry."

I could tell they were both concerned, staying quiet before Joshua cleared his throat, "So, Jeremiah, have you guys made any progress in your book?"

Jeremiah and I were writers, or trying to be. We worked on books together, but this one had us stumped. we had put so much work and time into it, but I couldn't seem to find the words to write it. I looked down, ashamed as we were both quiet. I knew Jeremiah was waiting for me to answer, but I didn't want to. I couldn't help but think that they would be annoyed with me, since I couldn't seem to write it. Finally, I gathered up the courage, taking a deep breath, "Not as much as we should..."

Jeremiah looks at me, "It's fine, Sarah. There is no rush."

"Still, I should be making more progress."

Joshua put a hand on my back, giving me a reassuring smile. I still felt bad. They were dying to see what I could do with all the hard work we did, but I couldn't write. It was the writer's block. I had it for awhile, but I thought I was finally getting over it. I guess I was wrong

Jeremiah sighs, "So, Joshua, since the soccer season is up what are you gonna spend your time doing?"

"Um, I don't know. Working, of course. Spending time with you guys," he looked at me, giving me one of his amazing smiles.

Soon the conversation shifted to Jeremiah gushing over me and Joshua. It was adorable that he was the biggest shipper of us. He was the reason we got together. Just the year before, Joshua and I had feelings for each other but never did anything about them. slowly Jeremiah helped us slowly open up to each other. We had just started dating the end of last year. He has been our biggest fan ever since.

I could hear as others approached the door. I often found myself watching to see who all comes to lunch, and who all skips. Joshua and Jeremiah looked, as I could feel the tension radiating off of Joshua. I looked at him, before looking back at the doors. I froze, seeing as two people walked in. Our good friend, Aiden, and the new kid, Gabe. He scanned the room, and our eyes locked.