"Whose the new guy?"
Amber and Jane were sitting in English class waiting for the rest of the students to enter.
"His name is Quinn. He lives next door to me. He's from Texas, but doesn't have a weird accent."
"He's cute. Did you guys make out?"
"Jane! Is that all you ever think about?"
"No. I also think about school work, occasionally."
Both girls laughed and watched as Quinn entered the classroom. He was wearing worn jeans and a t-shirt. He must have been in a rush because he sat down in the very first seat and didn't even notice Amber.
"... So we had the whole cottage to ourselves while his parents went to a flea market. It was amazing. Amber? Hello?" Jane had stopped talking and finally noticed Amber staring at Quinn, her face red. She had been friends with Amber since elementary school and knew when something was wrong.
"Sorry. Continue."
"No. Tell me what's wrong. Did you ask him out and he said no? Does he have a hot Texan girlfriend or something?" Jane was leaning forward a bit and was whispering since she didn't want anyone to hear them talk about personal things. It was one thing to blurt out her summer loving, but when it came to her best friend it was different. Amber was about to open her mouth and tell her best friend, but just then their English teacher, Mr. Johnston, entered the room. Mr. Johnston was old and cranky. He had been a teacher at the school for over thirty years and you didn't mess with him. The room immediately went quiet and you could hear a pin drop. Jane nodded at Amber. They would have to talk about this later.
Amber and Jane survived old Johnston's English class and then went their separate ways to their second period class. Amber was happy that she knew no one in her Math class. Math was her hardest subject and she knew if she had friends in class with her she'd just chat with them and not pay attention to the teacher. She knew that if Quinn were in the same class she'd spend the whole time staring at him. She couldn't get the image of the two of them on her backyard swing out of her head.
By the time the bell rang for lunch, Amber's head was hurting. Her head was filled with math equations and she was rushing to meet Jane at their normal spot. She wasn't watching where she was going. She ran down the North Wing stairs and just as her feet touched the bottom, she ran into Quinn. If he hadn't been so tall and muscular he probably would have been knocked over. Instead, he grabbed her so she wouldn't fall backwards.
"Woah! Amber! Hi."
Quinn had been minding his own business wandering around the school when a flash of red had come down the stairs and practically landed on him. He had wondered where Amber had gone after first period and now he had the answer.
"Quinn! Hi. Sorry." Amber stood still and began to laugh. Quinn was standing there looking pretty goofy as he tried to make sure that Amber didn't fall over. She was still a little dizzy from running into him.