Okay, this story has been a while in coming, but it's s.joann.c and my version of how the gang originally met. There will be some surprises! Just wait and find out! Story title credit goes to s.joann.c, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank her for her contributions to the story.

Co-Author's note from s.joann.c (she's considered a co-author by me since she's helping me with this project and will be writing a series to go after it): This is not just a story about friends and drama and fights and reconciliation. It's a tale of a boy finding his path in a world of highways, of a boy who learns that growing up isn't all that bad after all.
Please enjoy Mylinda Antoinette and s.joann.c.'s tale of what happened when not just a world was discovered, but the adventure of a lifetime was too.

An eleven-year-old, blonde-haired, blue-eyed boy with glasses sat with his parents and three suitcases in the main office of Kadic Boarding School in France.

"Mr. and Mrs. Belpois and Jeremy, Mr. Delmas will see you now," the secretary informed them. The boy picked up his suitcases and stepped into the principal's office, accompanied by his parents.

"Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Belpois! As I told you when I spoke with you on the phone a few weeks ago, it is an honor to have such a bright young man coming to our school. Jeremy, here is the key to your room, and I will have our physical education teacher, Jim, escort you there."

"Reminds me of when I worked as a bellboy in that hotel in Paris," Jim Morales grumbled.

Mr. Delmas stared at him strangely. "You worked as a bellboy?"

Jim looked at him. "I'd… rather not talk about it, sir." Jean-Pierre Delmas, the headmaster of the school, rolled his eyes as he looked back at the trio in front of him.

"I apologize for Jim's… unusual behavior. Anyway, I'm sure you have important things you must attend to, so, Jeremy, here is your schedule and a map of the school. I trust that this establishment will measure up to your expectations, Mr. and Mrs. Belpois."

"Thank you, sir," Michael Belpois said, escorting his wife and son out of the room. Jim followed them.

"Mom, Dad, remind me again why you're sending me here," Jeremy said in a very annoyed tone of voice. Of course, if you'd been uprooted from the place you knew like the back of your own hand against your will to be sent to a boarding school on the other side of the country, you'd probably be just as upset.

"Jeremy, this school is highly regarded as providing a challenge for students as advanced in their mental processes as you are," Mrs. Anita Belpois explained gently. "Jeremy, we love you very much, it's not that we don't want you! On the contrary, we're sending you here because we love you so much!"

"And did you know that your mother and I went to this school when we were your age? In fact, this is where we met!" Michael told his son.

"Oh really?" Jeremy said, faking interest.

"Jeremy, we wouldn't be sending you here if we didn't think it was in your best interests. Besides, here they'll let you skip a grade, which they wouldn't let you do at your last school!" Anita pleaded. Jeremy sighed.

"Did you have my computer moved here?" he asked, almost afraid to hope, since they wanted more than anything to get him away from his computer.

"Yes, we did, since we felt it would make the transition easier," Michael sighed. "Part of our hope, though, in sending you here was that you'd develop a life away from your computer, since we separated you from your squabbling siblings!"

"Nice alliteration, Dad," Jeremy exclaimed sarcastically, rolling his eyes as they stopped in front of his dorm.

"Well, here you go, Belpois," Jim said. "Here's your dorm, your computer is already set up inside. As per your parents' request, you will not be sharing a dorm. I'll leave you to get settled in." He went back downstairs.

"Well, Jeremy, we have to get back. I don't know how long your brothers and sisters will last without killing each other," Anita laughed. Michael laughed with her.

"Bye, Mom and Dad," Jeremy said, hugging them- the first sincere things he had said and done since arriving at the school.

"We'll miss you, Genius, so don't forget to call us from time to time," Michael choked out, hugging his son back.

"How can I, Dad? My dorm doesn't have a phone!"

"Oh, that's right! Here, honey," Anita said, handing her son a package.

Jeremy quickly opened the package and his face lit up, for inside was a brand new cell phone. He was at a loss for words.

"If you need anything, let us know. We set up a bank account at the nearest bank for you. There's €3,000 in there, so if you need something right away, don't hesitate to pull from that. Your pin number is the last few digits of your phone number." Michael hugged his son again. "We'll call you when we get home, okay, sport?"

"I love you, Mom and Dad," Jeremy exclaimed, throwing his arms around them once more.

"We love you, too, Jeremy," Anita and Michael said at the same time, hugging him back before walking down the hall. Jeremy watched them, tears pouring from his eyes. There went his parents, the only people he really connected with. He had never really gotten along very well with his siblings, since they were all very athletic, and his two sisters enjoyed girly things, while his brothers couldn't tell a computer chip from a potato chip.

He stood there a while before he unlocked his door, picked up his suitcases, and went into his room to unpack. When he opened the door and looked inside, he saw his computer sitting on a desk by the window. His bed was against the wall to his left, and he had a cabinet and some shelves lining the wall to his right. On the shelves were some of his computer things, gismos and gadgets he used when fixing computers. He quickly put away his things and got his high-tech computer hooked up PROPERLY within a half anhour. Jim had COMPLETELY messed up!Then he plugged in his laptop and began doing some things on it. His parents called him to tell him they had arrived home safely, but he didn't answer his phone, so they left him a message. When it was time for bed, he put his laptop away, got into his pajamas, and fell fast asleep.

Hope the end wasn't too rushed! Please review, and PLEASE, if you're going to give flames, provide examples of passages that need work! Chapter two, by s.joann.c, is in the process of being completed for posting and should be posted by next Friday! Bye for now!