Jake's POV

We're greeted by a cheery Mr. Limeson when we walk into the office. Mr. Limeson is the secretary, and he kind of resembles Santa Claus. He's very nice, a contrast to the cliché "I eat children in my oatmeal" secretary you see on TV.

"Good morning, Jake; good morning Ms. Waters," he beams at us. He's always proper with girls; he says it's how he was raised.

"'Sup Nick," I tease. I come round here so often that teasing him about being Santa; it's like our little insider. He playfully glares at me as Cassie shoots me a confused look.

"I have your schedules. They are identical, meaning that we needed to switch some things around. Luckily, however, this will only last the next few days before you will both return to your normal schedules. I wish you the best of luck!" He sends me a sideways wink and I roll my eyes jokingly.

"Yeah, yeah. See ya, Mr. Claus."

"What was that all about?" Cassie asks as the office door clicks behind us. I shrug nonchalantly.

"Eh, I see the old man often enough. Gotta keep it entertaining each time." She shakes her head and clutches her schedule with both hands, dragging mine along with it.

"Hey, watch it! I was using that hand, too, you know!" I yank my hand back in place, now jerking hers to me.

"Jake-!" She tries pulling them back, but her wrist fights with the metal handcuffs. She gasps softly and clutches her wrist in her left hand.

"Ouch," she mumbles as she tries to rub the pain away. I can see the faint markings it left, and it jolts my insides.

"Whatever, you can take it for now." I try to sound casual, but I'm not going to lie-it kind of scared me seeing her hurt.

I read our new schedule and frown.

7:45-9:00 ~ World History

9:05-10:20 ~ Calculus

10:25-11:40 ~ Chemistry

11:45-12:00 ~ Spanish 4

12:00-1:00 ~ Lunch

1:00-2:15 ~ Health

7:45-9:00 ~ World History

9:05-10:20 ~ English

10:25-11:40 ~ Art

11:45-12:00 ~ Health

12:00-1:00 ~ Lunch

1:00-2:15 ~ Spanish 4

7:45-9:00 ~ Chemistry

9:05-10:20 ~ Calculus

10:25-11:40 ~ English

11:45-12:00 ~ Art

12:00-1:00 ~ Lunch

1:00-2:15 ~ Health

Well won't this be fun.

~•~

"At least we're both in AP History and English," Cassie says. It's 7:38 and we've just stopped by both of our lockers. Luckily they're relatively close to each other due to our last names.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm not an idiot, you know. Let's just go to class and get this over with."

"Cassie!" Cassie and I turn around to see her best friend, Julia, nudging her way through the crowded hallway.

"Oh, hey. What's up?" Cassie responds. By now Julia's made it to us, and she does not look impressed. Her blonde waves are slightly disheveled, and her green eyes are narrowed. Her arms are crossed over her chest, and her weight is shifted a little to one side.

"'What's up'? 'What's up'?! 'What's up' is I heard from Susie McWeathers that my best friend is handcuffed to IT - !"

"Hey!" I cut in, but she keeps going.

"'What's up' is when I tried calling said best friend - repeatedly - I get a voicemail! 'What's up' is when I finally get a response out of her, it's a freaking, 'what's up'!" Damn, angry girls are hot.

"I'm sorry, really! I was steaming when we left school, and when we got home, the last thing I wanted was to worry about social media. Plus, some butthead - " Cassie starts, waving our connected wrists.

"Hey!" I cut in again, but to no avail.

"- stole my phone charger, and I needed to save some battery for today."

Julia continues to stare at the two of us, alternating her glance between the two of us. Her eyes stop wandering when she looks at me. Suddenly, she grabs the schedule from my hands, and a smile spreads on her face. My mouth drops as my eyebrows raise. She looks back at my face, smiling broadly, and I shift under her gaze, closing my mouth. She grasps Cassie's left arm and intertwines it with her own, dragging the both of us down the hall. Jeez, this girl is strong.

"Class is about to start, but luckily we have the same history class!" Julia says as we meander to class. "So, tell me, Cassie: Did you see his dick?"

~•~

"Oi, Jake!" I hear as we walk into the cafeteria for lunch. I turn towards the voice and sigh in relief. Kyle, my best friend, flags us over and I speed-walk to the table, despite Cassie's protests.

"Dude, how far did you get?" I know Kyle's just teasing me because he knows I haven't made it beyond second base (nor has he), but the glare I give him sends his arms up in surrender. Cassie simply rolls her eyes.

"Kyle Hodges, pleasure as always," Cassie says.

"Cassie Waters, I see we're still using full names."

"Julia Broz. Who else is hungry?" Julia cuts in. Where did she come from?

I plop my backpack down at the table. Our cafeteria sucks - each table only has four seats. We quickly buy our food, and then take our seats. (The woman selling our food gave Cassie and I a weird look, but just shook her head and mumbled something about kids these days.) I sat (obviously) to the right of Cassie, and to the left of Kyle. Julia was across from me, and Kyle seemed pretty happy to be sitting next to her. His eyes looked so lively, and he kept cracking his stupid jokes I told him never to say out loud again. They seemed to work alright, though, as Julia's head was bent back in laughter.

Cassie seemed to be as confused as me. We shared a look before she whispered in my ear, "Please don't tell me these guys are going to be a thing."

I spare the two one last glance before responding. Kyle hasn't a girlfriend since he caught Macy with Fynn Hemps in the Spanish classroom; let's just say that day ended with one dramatic breakup. Kyle looks genuinely happy now. Julia seems like one tough chick, too, and I know that's a quality Kyle looks for in a girl.

I shrug, "Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if they did. He's a good kid."

Cassie snorts, "He's a player." She looks me up and down, "just like you."

I look away and stab a piece of broccoli.

"Don't believe everything you hear, Cas."

///

A/N

Question of the chapter:

What do you think of Julia and Kyle? Yay or nay?

As always, comment your answers!

Happy happy holidays!! : )

Xx,

Niki