Where My Heart Is

Chapter 1

I was lying awake hours before my alarm. The usual annoying beep-beep-beep could not come fast enough. It was my first day of junior year, and honestly, I couldn't imagine anything worse.

Thoughts rushed through my mind as I laid in bed during the early hours of the day. My fears erupted in my mind like a volcano. I hated highschool. It seemed it was only full of populars and jocks who acted like jerks who ran the school. The classes were even worse. I cringed at the thought of the hard classes that awaited me this year and the tantalizing faces of new teachers. All of these fears, but worst of all, the possible chance of humiliation.

I had never been popular, but I wasn't one of the geeks. Embarrassment would come so easily to me, my cheeks flushing with the color red. I could see it all before it began...

Beep! Beep! Beep! There was the familiar sound, but although I had been anxiously awaiting it hours before, I was full of dread. I slumped out of bed and made my way through the darkness to the shower. Feeling the bags under my eyes from the hours I spent awake earlier, I continued to get ready.

Just under an hour later, I was fully ready for my first day. As I ate a quick breakfast, which consisted of a muffin and orange juice, I decided I was going to make the most of junior year. I didn't want to spend the year as I previously have - blending in with the crowds where most people didn't really know me. This year, I was going to stand out. I was going to do something big, and people were going to know me. This was the year.... I could feel it.

******

As I drove to school, my phone rang with a call from my best friend, Katie. Katie and I had been friends since we were five. No one knew me better than Katie did, and I loved her like family. After all, she practically was part of our family.

"Hey Katie. What's up?" I answered.

"Emma! Are you at school yet?" I could hear the panic in her voice.

"No, I just left. Why? Are you okay?"

"I need you to come get me. My car broke down, and I have no way to get there."

"Okay," I said as I took a left at the next intersection. "I'll be there soon."

"Love you to the end, Em," she said more relieved. "I'll see you soon."

I put down my phone and giggled to myself. Katie was always panicking over the smallest things. It seemed, though, that she had the worst luck. She was waiting for me outside as I pulled into her driveway. She got in and threw her bag into the backseat.

"This morning is crap," she began. "I have the worst of luck. If this keeps up, nothing will go right my whole junior year!" She threw her hands in the air with an exasperated sigh.

"Katie, calm down. Just because one misfortune happened doesn't mean that the whole year is ruined. Your car will get fixed. Just keep your head high and make the best of everything." I gave her a reassuring glance. She smiled back at me across the console.

"Em, I don't know what I would do without you," she told me as I pulled into the school parking lot.

"I don't know either," I replied, "but luckily you have me. So let's walk in and do this together."

We bumped hips like we always have as we walked across the lot and into the school. As we walked down the hall, there was a mix of emotions all around. The seniors were practically out of control. On the other side, the freshmen were all huddled together, peering around with the look of fear in their eyes.

"Remember when we used to be just like them?" Katie laughed as she pointed to the freshmen.

"Surprisingly, I still feel like them right now." I usually wasn't nervous, and even though I decided to try to stand out, I was still scared. It was going to be different, so I would have to step out of my comfort zone.

"You'll be fine, Emma. Look, here's our lockers." She pointed to the lockers we had signed up for. I was glad we could be right next to each other. After getting our stuff, we parted ways and headed to our classes. My first stop was chemistry. I was a smart girl, but science was a subject that did not come easily to me. In the previous years, I had barely passed my science classes with an average grade. I was hoping I could keep it up this year.

As I turned the corner to the next hall, I bumped into somebody. My books fell out of my arm and everything spilled to the ground. I looked up to see who it was. A boy who I slightly recognized but didn't really know met my gaze. He had dark hair, and he was tall. His eyes were a perfect greenish gray color. We stood there staring at each other before he cleared his throat.

"I am so sorry about that," he apologized and ran his fingers through his hair, looking embarrassed. "Let me help you." We both crouched down to pick up my things. After they were all gathered in my bag, I stood back up.

"Thank you, uh," I didn't know his name. My cheeks flushed red.

"I'm Luke." He flashed a pearly white smile at me. Just as I was about to tell him my name, another girl grabbed his arm and pulled him away. Before I knew it, he was pulled into the crowd, and I was left standing there by myself. Stunned, I made my way to chemistry class. My heart was still pounding when I sat down. I smiled to myself as I took it all in. I had never felt this way before. What was happening to me?

                                                                                                          *****

Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you like the start of this story. I'm excited to write it! I apologize that I don't have cast members for all characters. I'm the type of person that thinks that characters should be imagined in your own mind. The only reason I have Finn Harries portraying Luke is because he is exactly how Luke is. Please comment and tell me what you think. I will try to update as much as possible!