Chapter1

She looked like a toad. Mixed with a skunk. Yet was as friendly as a cactus.

Ms. McGraw stared down at the new grade nines with her beady eyes. Spinelli tried not to turn to TJ and laugh at the old teacher, but couldn't glance at him and giggle under her breath. Ms. McGraw must have been at least 2000 years old; her cheeks sagged, her tiny eyes had faded to grey, her lips had been replaced by prunes, and her hair was died black with one white streak down the centre. Plus, she had a million wrinkles.

"She looks like something out of a movie," Gus, who was on the other side of Spinelli, whispered. Ms. McGraw snapped her head towards him and glared, making Spinelli smirk.

"Welcome to 5th Street High School," she said coldly, "I am your vice principle, Ms. McGraw. Mr. Van der Waite, your principle, is in India on a trip for the next month, so teachers will send you to me if there are problems."

"Dammit," Vince muttered under his breath, "so we're stuck with this old hag for the start of high school?"

"So it would seem," TJ responded gloomily.

Ms. McGraw continued. "You are now high school students and I expect you to act like high school students, to act your age, be mature and help yourself around school. But because that is highly unlikely, you'll be pleased to know that Mr. Van der Waite wanted everyone to have a buddy for the first week. They will help you around, show you to your classes and all that jazz."

A ripple ran through the crowd of new students. "Buddy?" Gretchen repeated the word as if it horrified, "Does she think we're mere kindergardners?"

"No need to be offended," Mikey said, "Ms. McGraw and Mr. Van der Waite are only trying to do their part in making sure us new students have a stupendous first week at high school without bewilderment, troubles or the horrendous feeling of being lost in the never ending hallways –"

"Hey," Ms. McGraw snapped, pointed a boney finger at Mikey, "you, the big kid in the back. When I say no talking I mean no talking!"

"Did she even say no talking?" Gus couldn't help but asking as he was shot with another McGraw glare.

"Alright!" the vice principle barked, "You may enter!"

At this, the door into the gymnasium burst and a number of grade 10s walked in, each holding a slip of paper in their hands. They were casually talking amongst each other, each looking slightly irritated that they had been chosen to be a buddy.

"Now," growled Ms. McGraw, "when your buddy calls out your name, you will approach them and they will take you to your next class. Understood?!"

The new students nodded their head meekly. "This teacher has lost her head," Spinelli shook her head in disbelief as she kicked the ground with her oversized boot, "It's bad enough that it's the first day of school, but the fact that she's pairing us with buddy's –"

"Vince LaSalle!" a voice suddenly echoed across the gym, drowning Spinelli out.

Vince winced as he caught sight of his buddy: an oversized redhead with an upturned nose and bright blue eyes. "I'll see you guys at lunch," Vince said with disappointment in his voice as Gus had to give him a little push.

One by one, grand 9ers were called up by their buddies, disappearing through the gym doors. Vince was the first of the gang to leave, followed by Gretchen, Gus, and Mikey, leaving TJ and Spinelli as one of the final few.

"Hey, is that Swinger Girl?" Spinelli nudged TJ as a girl with blonde pigtails approached her buddy.

"Yeah," TJ nodded, "she's all angry though because there are no swings here. This school doesn't even have a play structure… but I guess that comes when you enter high school."

"Dammit TJ, I miss our old school."

"No kidding." He hesitated. "Hey, maybe if we're lucky we won't have buddies. Then we can just show ourselves around school." But as soon as the words left his mouth, his name was called. A short, gorgeous brunette with brown almond shaped eyes smiled as he approached her, obviously pleased that she hadn't been stuck with a complete loser.

TJ seemed just as pleased to be buddies with whoever the brunette was. Spinelli scowled and folded her arms across her stomach, feeling awfully lonely as she stood by herself until she was the last grade 9 in the gym.

"That leaves you with Chuck," Ms. McGraw sighed, and for a minute Spinelli thought that the old woman actually looked sorry. It soon passed, and without another word Ms. McGraw walked out of the gym.

Trying not to groan, Spinelli walked towards her buddy. Chuck, she thought bitterly as her boots echoed loudly, what kind of name is Chuck? She stopped right in front of him, and for a brief moment, they stood in silence as they took each other in.

Chuck was tall with an athletic build. His hands were stuffed into his jean pockets and his chaotic blonde hair fell into his dark brown eyes. He looked bored standing there, probably wishing it was still summer, staring down at Spinelli.

She was short, her dark brown hair tied into two messy braids. She wore her striped tights and her oversized lucky jacket covered most of her dress. Fiddling with the rim of her hat, she glanced up at Chuck, her large eyes glaring at him.

"Look Chuck," she finally spoke, "thanks so much for volunteering to be a buddy or whatever, but I can find myself around the school. So what if I'm a little late for class, it's the first day. How much can I miss?"

Chuck shrugged. "That would be fine with me, but I need Ms. McGraw to see me helping you around to get extra credit."

"Extra credit?" Spinelli arched one eyebrow. Great, I'm stuck with some extra credit geek!, "Well I'm sorry to say that your extra credit is nothing to me. Go and do some club after school or whatever if you're so eager."

Chuck let out a laugh. "After school, are you kidding me? I already spend six to seven hours here a day. If I stayed here any longer I'd be missing my daily wrestling matches… not that you know anything about that."

Spinelli smirked. "Oh, so you immediately think I don't watch wrestling because I'm a girl, is that it?"

"Well do you?" he smirked back.

"Only enough to know that Sir Steel Fist has won the World Wrestling Championship three years in a row, but only has a 52 chance of winning this year because the new competitor Masked Man has slightly longer arms than he does."

"Does that really make a difference?"

"Well it's the only reason that people can come up with for the Masked Man's victory against Sir Steel First last night."

Chuck suddenly grinned. Spinelli could feel herself grin back. She tried to stop it, but Chuck's grin was contagious and something inside of her fluttered. "So how about showing me to my class if," she said as she stared into his almost black eyes, "since you're so eager for extra credit."

"I would be honored," Chuck winked and began talking out of the gym with Spinelli following him in an almost dream-like state.

A/N: so there's the first chapter!! More will be coming soon. I'd love some R&R if anyone has anything at all to say. Thanks!

Vintage88