THE insistent chirping of her alarm clock shattered Samantha's peaceful slumber. Groaning, she swatted at her phone, silencing its obnoxious tune. Today was her and Katherine's first day of High School. The word itself felt heavy, a looming presence casting a long shadow over her summer break. However, after her eyes adjusted to the sun creeping from her blinds, she quickly jumped back into her routine as if it were second nature.

Across the hall, however, Katherine snoozed her alarm but laid motionless, burrowing her face under her pillows, hiding from the sunlight. Almost as if predicting her cousin's behavior, Samantha barged into her bedroom and sighed in exasperation. "Come on, sleepyhead," Samantha chirped, pulling the comforter off of her cousin in determination. Katherine groaned, burying her face deeper into the pillow. "Five more minutes, please. " She mumbled, her voice muffled.

Samantha shook her head, a gentle but firm hand on Katherine's shoulder. "Not a chance. We're going to be late." With a dramatic sigh, Katherine finally emerged from her blanket cocoon, blinking against the sudden light. "Sometimes I think you're actually a vampire." Not having sufficient effort Katherine settled on giving Samantha her middle finger, before sluggishly trudging to the bathroom. That's when the chaos commenced.

Katherine's mind, although still half-asleep, began to race, a whirlwind of anxieties and self-doubt taking over. After what seemed like eternity of digging through Samantha's closet and her minimal clothing, Katherine finally emerged from her room, her hair and makeup expertly done by Samantha. Heading downstairs for breakfast, both girls were greeted by a smiling Daniel and Amanda, who each held a cappuccino in their hands. Samantha, ever the attentive cousin, pushed a cup of coffee towards Katherine.

"You look like you need this," She teased, laughing at her cousin's weary expression. "Do I really look that bad?" Katherine asked, taking a sip of her coffee, the warmth spreading through her as it hit the spot perfectly and instantly made her feel more awake. "You look dead, Kat." Anthony remarked from across the table, his eyes glued to his iPad. "Thanks, Tony," Katherine retorted dryly, rolling her eyes. "Really helpful." Daniel rolled his eyes, a familiar expression crossing his face, as he turned to the girls.

"You two ready for school?" Samantha nodded eagerly, bumping shoulders with her cousin. "Ready as I'll ever be," She declared, her voice brimming with excitement. Katherine, despite the caffeine coursing through her veins, still felt a flutter of nerves. "Sure," She replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "Alright then, you two better get going," Daniel urged, checking his watch. "Don't want to be late on your first day." Both girls gathered their backpacks, exchanging a quick glance. Amanda and Daniel gave them each a warm hug, whispering words of encouragement.

Katherine knew she should have jumped out of the car when she had the chance. Or at least she could have pretended to be ill. The drive to All Valley High School felt agonizingly short. Katherine, despite her best efforts, couldn't shake off the nervous jitters. Luckily, Samantha was none the wiser. "Need help finding your way around?" Samantha asked, as they stepped out of the car. Katherine flinched, the stares of the other students burning into her skin. She forced a weak smile. "No, I think I'll be fine. Let's just meet at your locker after class?" Samantha nodded, her smile fading slightly as she noticed Katherine's discomfort.

"Okay. See you later!" With a wave, Samantha disappeared into the sea of students, leaving Katherine alone to face her dread. Taking a shaky breath, she pushed open the heavy glass doors of the main office. The fluorescent lights seemed to hum with an unnatural intensity. "Get a grip, Katherine." She whispered to herself putting on her best fake smile. "Hi, I'm Katherine LaRusso," She managed to say, her voice trembling slightly. "Here to pick up my schedule." The woman behind the desk, smiled warmly. "Of course, dear. Here you go." She handed Katherine a neatly folded sheet of paper.

Giving the woman one last nervous smile, Katherine walked out of the front office and released the breath she was holding. "Glad to know I'm not the only new student." Katherine turned to see a tall boy with a mop of dark hair leaning against the lockers, a nervous grin playing on his lips. Relief washed over her at least all the attention wouldn't be all on her. "Me neither," She replied, a genuine smile finally gracing her lips. "I'm Katherine." He extended a hand, his grip firm but not too strong. "Miguel. Nice to meet you, Katherine."

Both teenagers suddenly fell into conversation as well as comparing schedules. After a few more minutes of getting to know each other, they parted ways, heading off to their respective classrooms. Katherine quickly texted Samantha the location of her locker, then busied herself gathering her textbooks. "There you are," Samantha's voice cut her off as she slammed her locker shut. Noticing Yasmine and Moon were by her side, Katherine quickly plastered a fake smile on her face. "So, what class do you have first?" Moon asked, her voice a little too bright, yet somewhat comforting.

"Oh, uh, AP English. I saw the classroom down the hall." Yasmine nodded, her voice dripping with feigned sympathy. "Bummer. We all have Calculus first. Guess we won't see you until lunch." Katherine had to bit back her words upon listening to Yasmine's poor attempt of mocked sympathy. Sensing the tension Samantha leaned forward and placed a reassuring hand on her cousin's shoulder. "You've got this," She assured giving Katherine's bicep a squeeze. "We'll see you later." As Katherine watched them go, she took a deep breath.

With one last internal pep-talk, she entered the English classroom, choosing a seat near the middle, hoping to blend in with the other students. "Not so bad," She muttered to herself, trying to convince herself that she could in fact, survive the day. "Just a few more hours. How hard could it be?" Famous last words. The classroom clock seemed to mock her, the hours crawled by, each minute an eternity. Finally, as the shrill sound of the final bell echoed through the halls, Katherine let out a long, weary sigh.

After gathering her belongings, she navigated through the sea of students pouring out of the classrooms. Eventually, she reached the cafeteria, the array of voices and the clattering of trays created a symphony of overstimulation that made her head spin. Near the window, she noticed that Samantha, Yasmine, and Moon were already seated. Katherine felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized she had no choice but to approach them. It was either that, or sit alone. Swallowing her pride, she clutched her lunch tray tightly and walked over.

"Oh my God, you guys!" She heard Yasmine exclaim, her eyes wide with amusement. Katherine watched as she jabbed a manicured finger towards a table across the cafeteria. "See that guy over there, who looks like he went down on a lawnmower?He's literally wearing the ugliest sweater I've ever seen in my entire life." Samantha and Moon erupted in giggles, Katherine, however, felt a knot of unease tighten in her stomach. Her gaze drifted towards the table Yasmine had pointed out. There, amidst a group of boisterous boys, sat Miguel, the boy she'd met earlier. Alongside him, sat a lanky boy with dark hair who seemed to be rambling nervously.

However, it was the boy with brown hair, falling across his forehead, and prominent scar that slashed across his top lip that stood out. Suddenly, a wave of recognition washed over her. Unable to bear listening to Yasmine's snide commentary any longer, Katherine abruptly turned on her heel and headed towards the table where the boys were sitting. "I don't care if Yasmine is the meanest girl at school. I'd kill both of you just to get her to spit in my face." She overheard the boy with the darker hair declare, which in turn made her let out a chuckle.

He was clearly exaggerating, but the sheer absurdity of his statement was undeniably funny. Pulling up a chair, she slid into the empty space between Miguel and the boy Yasmine had been making fun of, who was staring at her in stunned silence. "Oh hey, what's up, Katherine?" Miguel greeted her with a warm smile. Katherine returned the smile, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. She noticed the dark haired lanky boy staring at her with wide eyes. His jaw hung slightly open, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and something she couldn't quite decipher. "Hi, I'm Katherine, but you can call me Kat, I just moved here." She introduced herself, offering a warm smile to both boys.

"Demetri," The darker-haired boy replied, his voice a low nervous rumble. Katherine's eyes shifted towards the only person who hadn't spoken yet. He was avoiding eye contact, his gaze fixed on the table, his jaw clenched. Katherine couldn't help but smile at his almost comical attempt to appear nonchalant. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she smiled directly at him. "Hi, Eli." Demetri and Miguel exchanged a startled glance, their eyes widening in surprise. Katherine, however, remained unfazed. Finally picking his head up, Eli met her eyes, confusion swirling in them.

"Oh come on," She huffed playfully. "For someone who says they can spot a Twilight fanatic from a mile away, you really do suck at it. I haven't changed that much now, have I?" The gears in his mind seemed to click into place. Recognition dawned on his face, a slow, smile spreading across his lips. "Kat?" He breathed, his voice hoarse with disbelief. As soon as she nodded, he didn't hesitate. In a swift move, he pulled her into a hug, the warmth of his body radiating through her. Katherine was startled for a moment but nonetheless returned the hug, burying her face in his shoulder.

After a moment, they broke apart, both of them grinning like idiots, their shared laughter a stark contrast to the hushed murmurs that had erupted around them. "Care to explain what's going on here?" Demetri finally asked, his voice laced with curiosity. "This is Kat," Eli explained to Demetri, his voice still laced with disbelief. "Remember the best friend I told you about? The one who moved to Europe when we were six, we kept in touch, you know through letters, emails, the occasional video call." He gestured towards Katherine with a wide grin, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

Demetri, who was still reeling from the unexpected reunion, could only blink at them both, his jaw slack. "Wait, wait, this is Katherine?!" He stammered, his voice rising in disbelief. "Your childhood best friend who's also a huge Twilight nerd?"Eli and Katherine nodded in unison, their smiles mirroring each other perfectly. "Newsflash," Demetri declared, a mischievous glint in his eye, "She's way too hot to be a nerd and be your best friend." Katherine scoffed, a playful roll of her eyes.

"Well, I'd honestly rather hang out with you three than those... those... bitches over there," She muttered, the word 'bitches' barely a whisper, but laced with enough disdain to make Eli and Miguel chuckle. "And one of them who is the exception, just so happens to be my cousin," She added, a wry smile playing on her lips. Her words instantly caught Miguel's attention. "Samantha LaRusso is your cousin?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly. Katherine nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Yup, crazy, right?" She laughed, leaning back in her chair. She noticed Miguel's jaw tighten, his brow furrowing as he seemed to be mentally debating something.

When he abruptly stood up, Katherine had a pretty good idea of what he was about to do. "What are you doing?" Demetri asked, his voice laced with a mixture of amusement and apprehension. "Striking first," Miguel declared, a determined glint in his eyes. Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Oh, shit," Demetri added, a nervous mutter escaping his lips. "I hope we don't get hit with the shrapnel." Katherine and Eli exchanged a knowing look. "Do you think he'll get somewhere?" Eli asked, leaning closer to Katherine, his eyes fixed on Miguel as he navigated the crowded cafeteria.

"No idea," Katherine admitted, "But I'll give him points, he's definitely ballsy." As Miguel approached Samantha's table, a figure emerged. Kyler, who was known as the 'king' of the school', knelt beside Samantha's chair, his arm casually draped around her shoulders. He flashed a cocky smirk at Miguel, a silent challenge that sent a shiver down Katherine's spine. "What's up, ladies?" Kyler drawled, his voice dripping with a smug confidence that grated on Katherine's nerves. She knew there was a reason to why she did not like him.

Sighing in defeat, Katherine noticed Miguel exchange a frustrated glance with Kyler before turning back to their table. "See you later, 'Rhea." She heard Kyler drawl mockingly, his voice dripping with a smug satisfaction that made Katherine's blood boil. Miguel slumped back into his chair, the air around him radiating with frustration. "So," Demetri teased, a mischievous glint in his eye, "How'd it go?" Miguel rolled his eyes, a humorless chuckle escaping him. "Just drop it, dude." Katherine scoffed determined to change the subject. Luckily, Demetri still had questions she was happy to answer. 

Happy New Year my loves! Thank you for all the love on this re-written series! This is by far my favorite chapter so far! Much more to come in the next chapters!! Read with caution, my anesthesia from my wisdom teeth removal is still wearing off so it might not be my best work. <3