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05:30 AM. January 5th 2010.

The alarm clock beeped like a devil by her bed interrupting her blissful sleep.
She groped over the table in the dark trying to shut off the alarm and in the process pulled a wire accidentally. The table lamp met its fate. The crash made her sit up and she gasped.

Oh God.

She held her face in her hands.

Moms gonna kill me.

She slammed down on the annoying alarm and it stopped beeping. It was cold outside. The curtain light seeping through was a pale blue with the teal drapes. A streak of light cut the across the room. It lit up a part of Aria's face as her green-blue eyes glowed in the dark with her pale skin.
She squinted and rubbed her eyes.

Five more minutes wouldn't hurt.. 

The bed pulled her back into its toxic grasp. Her face crashed into the pillow as she murmured something even she couldn't understand into it. 
Sleep took over her as she fell into an abyss of blissful darkness without dreams.

So much for the first day of school.

The white painted wooden door slightly creaked open as her mom peeped through. Mom slowly crept up to her and pulled the sheets off carefully. 
"Ari dear?"
She grumbled into her pillow again.
"The bus arrives in five minutes honey. If you wanna miss the first day of school dragging out of bed I'm pretty sure that would be a good memory. "
"What's the t... Time?"
"Time to buy a new lamp hon. Wake up.  It's six o'clock.  I packed your bag as well."
"SIX O' CLOCK?!  MOM WHAT WERE YOU DOING? MAKING KEBABS?! " She sat up and jumped out of bed and ran to the washroom. Mom chuckled nodded her head and went downstairs. 
Brush. Quick hot shower. Puts on a neatly pressed white shirt and her jacket. Dries her hair in the process.
Ew. Wet hair.  She thought.
She ran downstairs took her bag,  stuffing a small sandwich slice of peanut butter and Nutella in her mouth.
Quickly slipping into her reeboks she yelled. "Bwooy Mwooom."  with her mouth full and opening the door.

"Have a great day ahead!"

The lawn was just mowed a day before. The snow already caked over the grass. Mom had luckily
Shoveled the path. The bus started to leave just as she got off the stairs.
"WAIIIITTTT!!! " She yelled out and slipped on the wet path.
Ow..
Nononono you're not supposed to leave without me...thats not supposed to happen.

She tried to run but couldn't reach it on time.

Great.

She pulled out her phone and slid through her contacts to call a friend.
The ring was on....and someone picked up.
"Hello?"
"Stace? Where are you? I missed the bus... "
" Ari?  I'm sorry I already left and halfway there.... "
" Urghhh..  Karma. "
" First day of school and you missed the.. "
She cut the line before she could finish. She kept tapping her phone against her palm, pressing her lips into a line

A matte black BMW pulled up in front of the house and honked.
She frowned.
Mom didn't send for a carpool did she?

" Hi Ari! Headed to school? Hop in! " Exclaimed the almost bald man.
" Um...  I...  You are...? "
" I'm your mom's boyfriend. " He laughed.
"What the.. "

" Ari! Hurry up and get on! That's your dad's best friend Hoover! " yelled mom from behind.
Oh.  -.-

She opened the door and got in.

"That wasn't necessary you know."
Hoover laughed. "Hey, I'm Hoover Banks. Your Dadas brother. Your mom called up to say you're gonna be missing the bus today so she asked me to drop you at school. "
" Wow. "
" The last time you saw me was when you were back in fifth grade" he chuckled.

He pulled over after few turns. A house on a parallel road to Aria's. A boy of about her age scurried down the path clumsily. He dropped his books, picked them up and shoved them in his bag.

"Waiting for someone?" Ari asked in sweet voice.
"Mhm. My son Steve. Need to drop him off at school as well."

Steve huh?

The boy looked like a young version of Robbie Amell.  He wore a grey shirt and a denims. 
Short hair.
He pulled out his glasses with a hand as he wore them before getting in.
He opened the back door and was about to climb in...
His eyes widened as he literally said the word out loud.

Woah.

"Steven get in the front seat. "
He kept staring at her for a moment. 
" Steve? " His dad asked him again.
He snapped out of it."Yeah... Ye.. "
Closed the door and got in front.

Aria's pale skin turned red.

The rest of the drive was in silence as Hoover turned up the song 'Highway to hell'

After the longest ride she'd ever been in Hoover pulled up at Garrick's International Junior College.

"Well we're here. "he said.
Steve got off and headed in.

" Ari? " Hoover asked "Steve's new to the school... So.. If you could help him out with... Stuff.."
"Don't worry uncle Hoover. " She smiled and got out, her black boots mushing into the snow.

The school had a huge black iron gate that was open and topped with snow. She rubbed her palms blowing warm breath into it and strolled in. Reaching the reception board she. Put her finger on the board and dragged. 
Ab.. Ad...  Aj...Ar...Aria.
Class XVI.

She was on her way to class when she saw Steve looking like a penguin in the sahara.

She tapped his back and he turned.
"Woah." 
"What's wrong with you? Why so you keep saying that? "
"Um I...  Class...  "
"Which class?  Did you check the reception board?"
"Uh.. yeah..  It said...  XVI... "

Cool. Same class huh buddy?

"Come on..  Follow me. I'm in the same class. "
Both of them were smiling their butts off. They headed upstairs.

The college was huge and luckily class XVI was near the entrance.
They had a soccer field, basketball court, tennis and many other facilities.
The classroom had a large dark brown wooden door with the letters 'XVI -  Science' put up on an engraved shiny golden plate.
Stacey waved "Ari!" as she entered the classroom.
"ARIII!" Raven shrieked and hugged the toothpaste out of her.
"Hhhey."
Steve walked in to find a place. The classroom was huge. The seats were arranged in levelled arcs around the enormous blackboard.

He looked around for a seat. Ari and her friends sat somewhere in the middle.

"Steve? " she called.
He turned. She gestured him to sit next to her.
Stacey nudged and giggled.
"Oh Shush...later."

The professor walked in wearing a dashing suit and a shiny watch....something was peculiar about him... He was half bald.

Ari's Jaw dropped. He looked exactly like Hoover.

Steve smiled at her. "That's my dad's twin. Uncle Fred."

Everyone stood up and fell back into their seats on his gesture.
He looked at his watch waiting as if waiting for something to happen. 

The morning bell rang.

"Morning Class.  My name's Professor Fredrick Banks.
I'll be your class representative for the academic year 2010-2011.. And welcome to your freshman year at junior college."

Oh Lord of the heavens. Let this be a good year filled with A+'s and good grades....  And maybe a cute boyfriend.

She giggled to herself.