The Archer Boys

Chapter 1

First day of junior year is stressful. Matter of fact, first day of any year is stressful. It's that day that you make your impression and when you do, you don't take it back. Usually, my status doesn't change. I'm the smart girl who doesn't dress like a twelve year old. In general, I'm among the average of the class. 

"Lydia, darling, you'll be late!" my mom said from the bottom of the steps. 

I tugged my brown hair, clipping it behind my ears. Instead of trying to be courageous, I played it safe with a black and white outfit. My bag sat on the white side table I had by my door. I grabbed it as well as my black boots. 

"Here honey," my mom said, shoving a waffle and keys into my hand. "Oh, and remember what I said about tutoring Sandra's boy."

When I got out the door, I let out a loud groan. As a junior, I was supposed to be out with the rest of my classmates going wild at parties. However, that was not the case. I sat either at home or in the coffee place in the town square, doing absolutely nothing important. Sure I could get myself into one of the parties but I wouldn't even know what to do if I did. My abundance of free time led my mother to what she thought was a brilliant idea. A friend of hers had a son, according to her, he wasn't doing the best in school the year before. Now as a part of some punishment, the boy was getting tutored. I wasn't sure if it was a punishment for him or for me.

I kept to my usual tradition, arriving at school before most people so I could skip out on going through the big crowds. At my high school, the first day of the year is also the day you choose your parking spot and you stick with it. Fortunately, being the first to arrive left me with the power to have the first pick.

"Finally!" a voice that I knew all too well shouted.

Next to my own car, Arden stood with an exasperated yet nervous expression.

"I’ve got news. So do you remember when we were all in middle school together?" she asked.

"Yeah but I try really hard to forget the dark times," I said.

"Well if you remember middle school then you'll remember the Archer boys," she said, leaning onto her own car.

Archer boys. Even before puberty, they were heartthrobs. Three years ago, they were all sent to some boarding school in Oregon. No one has heard from them since they left and their name has died down over the years.

"So, what about them?" I asked.

"Apparently they're back, like for good," she said, narrowing her eyes to watch my reaction.

I shrug. They must be good looking now that they've gone through puberty but that hasn't got anything to do with me. My guess would be that most of the girls who knew them must've already heard ad has made it their year mission to at least speak to them. 

"I can just hear our slut population growing by the second," I groaned. 

The student parking lot began to fill up, signaling my cue to head into the school. The first day of school process was always the same but in a different part of the school, like every other year. Most of the gossip starts at about lunch because it's when we all gather after a morning full of observing each other. I expected there to be a small buzz about the Archer boys but it was more than that. It was much more than that. Everyone gave up the usual routine of labeling and judging each other for the latest news on the Archers.

I sat at the round table beside a tree tall enough to provide shade for the table. By the time I set my lunch out, Arden was rushing into the courtyard, pulling Harrison behind her. Both were grinning from ear to ear, probably because of the latest addition to the school