High School in Willow Falls

First Day of High School

All of these lovely characters belong to Wendy Mass, she is the brilliant creator of the world of Willow Falls.

Leo's POV

I wake up to the lovely sound of a duck. No joke, my alarm clock makes animal sounds. Sometimes it moos, sometimes is quacks. Today is quacks. 

I roll out of bed and go straight to my phone to text Amanda. Her name in my contacts makes me laugh, when I got a new phone Rory programed everyone's number in it for me. Henceforth the reason everyone has nicknames. I click on Amanda and start to text her.

Leo: Hey, r u up yet?

Amy: U bet

Leo: Excited? 

Amy: More nervous than excited, nervicited.

Leo: Lol, I have to eat. See u at the bus stop?

Amy: U bet.

After a quick breakfast of cereal I head to the bus stop, where I meet Amanda. "Hey Leo!" She calls. rushing to me.

"Hey, still 'nervicited'?" I ask, hugging her. She laughs and shakes her head. We sit on the grass waiting for the bus.

"Did Rory get her 'surprise'?" I ask. Everyone in town had to sign a contract saying that we won't alert the press that Jake Harrison is living with the Swenson's.

Amanda laughs again, "Yep, she called me at 9:30pm asking why I didn't tell her."

The bus pulls up and Amanda and I board. We sit in the far back, Conner, Grace, Jake, and Rory are already sitting together.

"Hey man," Jake says as Amanda and I sit across from him and Rory, "Thanks for not telling her. The look on her face was priceless."

Rory rolls her eyes, "I still don't understand why you didn't tell me, I would've been there when you arrived."

Jake smiles at her and leans into to whisper something the rest of us can't hear. I'm not sure I want to know what it is though, because Rory giggled. Rory never giggles.

When the bus arrives at school we all rush out of the bus excitedly. Jake goes straight in the school, he doesn't have to go through the whole tour of the school and beginning of school assembly, he just has to go to the office. 

I space out after the first ten minutes of orientation. I figure that Amanda can remind me of all the important stuff. After playing a bunch of ice breaker games we're free to go. (I don't know why adults make kids play ice breakers, no one is going to just open up to a bunch of kids they don't know.)

"So, how was your fist day living in Willow Falls?" I ask Jake on the bus ride home. 

He shrugs, "A bunch of girls came up to me asking for a autograph, and got a ton of glares from every boy in my grade. The regular."

Rory rolls her eyes, "So, Amanda and Leo, do you have any plans today?" Amanda and and I both shake our heads.

"I have to clean my room, but that can always wait." I say, Amanda snorts and I turn around to look at her, "What's so funny?"

"Leo Fitzpatrick, if you don't clean your room the day your told to, you never will. I think that counts as being busy." Amanda says.

"But it's no fun cleaning my room, I end up being lonely and distracted." I whine. 

She just laughs, "I'll help, if you want." 

I perk up immediately, hanging out with my best friend/girlfriend sounds great. Even if it means cleaning my room.

Time Skip/ Page Break

After cleaning my room Amanda and I just lie on my bed in our phones. It didn't take that long to clean my room. I'm trying to play a game on my phone but Amanda is has her head resting in my chest, that can be pretty distracting.

She sighs and rolls over to snuggle into me. This makes my heart rate increase by, like, a hundred percent. I know it's only a matter of time before Mom will come up to check on us, so I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.

"Leo," Amanda says quietly, "Do you think that we will ever break up?"

I actually jump a little when she asks that, "I hope not, I won't be the one to end it, not that it will end." I stutter.

Amanda sighs, "Leo, are you flustered?"

"Plausibly." I mumble. She pushes her self against me, closing any gaps of space there were. I tighten my grip on her, I would never let someone hurt her.

Once in grade seven Vinnie made a comment about Amanda, he said "I can't wait till we're older, I'll bang that hard." Reminder, we were in grade seven. I ended up punching him, that was the only time I'd ever hit someone. I got sent to the principal's office, and when I couldn't explain why I did it she put me in detention. Amanda never did find out why I got detention that week.

"What are you thinking about?" Amanda asks. 

"The time I beat up Vinnie." I say, nonchalantly. 

I can practically hear her roll her eyes, "You hit him, I don't even think you bruised him." She points out. I just shrug.

She goes quiet for a minute, "Hey, Leo. Why did you hit Vinnie? You'd never hit anyone before that."

"It was something he said." I explain. She looks up at me, her blue eyes curious. Just as she opens her mouth to ask what he said my mom opens the door. 

Amanda and I spring apart, "Mom!" I yell, sitting up,"You we're the one who came up with the knocking rule!"

"So I was, anyway I came up here to ask if you were hungry. I can easily whip up something for you to eat." Mom offers.

I shake my head, "I'm good, thanks though." Amanda also shakes her head, Mom closes the door behind her and I wait a minute until I here walk down the stairs to talk. 

"Sorry about that, she never knocks." I say, lying down again. 

Amanda stays sitting up, "It's not like we were doing anything." 

I laugh, "No but your dad pulled me aside to talk about protection at the beginning of summer."

Amanda groans, "Why? I told him not to, but when does he ever listen to his youngest daughter?" 

I move my head into her lap, "If it makes you feel better your mom stepped in before he could go into detail."

She starts to play with my curls, ever sense she told me she liked my hair longer I started to grow it out. Just a little, not long long hair, just a little longer. 

"Why are you so quiet?" I ask, silence makes me uncomfortable.

"It's just that it finally hit me, we're in grade nine, Leo. That's high school, next year we'll be in grade ten." Amanda boops me on the nose before continuing, "When did your hair get do long? It doesn't look bad, it's just that I never noticed before."

"It's been this long for a year, you never noticed?" I tease, my hair grows, like, an inch every year.

"I like it." She whispers.

I sit up and move beside her. "You okay?" I ask, tilting my forehead against hers.

"I'm fine." She says, smiling. 

She closes the distance between us and I find myself doing me favourite thing, kissing Amanda. I sigh, does life get much better than this?

After a while she pulls away, smiling. "Thanks." She says.

"Your welcome... Wait what? Why are you thanking me?" I ask, genuinely confused.

"You know how to cheer me up." She says simply.

"Do you need any more cheering up?" I ask, kissing her again.

She giggles, "Maybe."