Rising Sun

Chapter Three

"Come on, Lindsay! It's 7:06, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming, calm down sis." Lindsay said nonchalantly, as she waltzed down the stairs. "Let me get my shoes on and we'll be on our way." She rolled her eyes, sliding her feet into a pair of grey sneakers.

"I don't want to be late for chem this morning, we have to turn in our lab reports today." Skylar pressed.

"You just want to get there early so you have time to chat up Tom." Her sister teased, as they headed out the garage door. Skylar rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"I promised him I'd meet him before homeroom, just so we could talk."

"Uh-huh, talk. Let's be real, sis, you don't just talk to Thomas Jennings."

Skylar laughed uneasily. She knew Tom had been around, but she also knew that's not what she wanted. She wasn't ready, and she was waiting for the right person. She'd barely gotten to know Tom, and being reminded of his past relationships wasn't her favorite. He was a nice guy, and she wanted to get to know him without hearing about his past all of the time.

"Did you hear a new student moved here last week? I guess she lives on Pinegrove." Lindsay spoke up after a moment, mentioning the next road over. "Isn't that crazy? I don't think we've had a new student since, like, '95."

"Yeah, I thought Kelsey and the girls were talking about her on Saturday before we left. I can't believe someone would want to move here." Skylar said in disbelief. Anyone had to be crazy to want to move to Crestview, where the closest mall was forty-five minutes away. And, if you didn't want pizza, you had to drive for half an hour to eat out.

"I know, right? I wonder what grade she's in. Or if she'll want to join the team." Lindsay said excitedly. She loved her team more than anything, and as captain, she was always looking to recruit girls to play. She'd played volleyball since elementary, and she swore she couldn't find anyone worthy of being the next team captain.

"I doubt she'll want to play volleyball, Linds. Plus, isn't it too late to join?"

"It's never too late." Lindsay shook her head as she turned into the school parking lot. "And speaking of late, look at the time. Just enough for you to talk to Tom." She grinned at her sister.

"Would you look at that." Skylar said sarcastically.

Lindsay parked the car, and Skylar hurried to grab her backpack and head into the school.

"Love you, loser!" Lindsay shouted to her, and she threw up her fingers in a peace sign in response.

As she entered the building, Skylar saw Tom waiting by her locker. He was talking to one of the other seniors from the football team about something, before he noticed her and his eyes lit up.

"Hey, Skylar." He said, patting the other guy on the back as they parted. Something about his smile instantly calmed her down; he was a really good-looking guy.

"Hey." She said, as she opened up her locker and grabbed her chemistry book to put in her backpack. "How was your weekend? Or, yesterday, anyway?" She asked Tom, closing her locker.

"Oh, you know. Helping my dad around the yard before being forced to watch some game with him and his buddies." He said, rolling his eyes.

"You mean football games aren't your version of  Friends or Sabrina?" Skylar teased.

"Not exactly. Don't tell any of the guys this," he paused, looking around for any of his teammates, "but I'm not exactly the biggest football fan."

"So, why do you play?" Skylar asked, taken aback. She was surprised that the quarterback of the football team didn't like football.