Hello new readers and old friends :)
Welcome to Pocketful of Sunshine! The sequel to Brand New Day.
If you didn't know, this fic is named after the song by Natasha Bedingfield.
It'll be mostly the same members of the cast but with a few other members of the WWE Universe that you may know... but you'll have to tune in to find out :)

Enjoy!

WHERE WE LEFT OFF

TO: Brooke Shane
FROM: Eve Torres
SUBJECT: Heyyyyyyyyyy :)

Dear Brooke,

Can you believe it's been almost a year since I left Denver? Even more unbelievable, can you believe it's been almost a year since I spoke to my oldest friend? Crazy, right? Wow, lots of questions to start off a letter, don't worry, you don't have to answer all of them!

Mom told me your sister's getting married! OMG, how is that even possible? You, Janie and I used to hold weddings for our Barbie dolls and now Janie's having a real wedding. It's insane. Tell her I say congratulations and hopefully I'll receive an invitation...? Any excuse to buy a cute dress! LOL. Obviously it's pretty crazy back in Denver, but it's equally as crazy in Beverly Hills. You've got almost a year's worth of gossip to catch up on!

When I first moved out here, I tried out for cheerleading – big shocker! The cheerleaders here are a little...cheerleader-ish and definitely what you'd expect them to be! They're gorgeous and can be a little bitchy. Especially the head cheerleader Maryse. Anyway, I made the big mistake of going out with Maryse's ex-boyfriend Jack; the captain of the basketball team – another shocker!

Yeah, at first, Jack seemed sweet and wonderful but he turned out to be a total jerk. He and his friend Mike had a bet going to see who could get my virginity first, which I found out about after losing my virginity – but not to them, to my friend Ted. Basically, at prom I found out that Ted – who'd been an amazing friend through all of this – had been in love with me since I moved to the school. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to realise who was going to be best for me. Ted's been my boyfriend for about four months now and he's as close as perfect comes.

But the drama doesn't stop there. You remember my step-brother Kofi? Of course you do! He joined the basketball team and started dating this cheerleader called Alicia. Alicia was nice and everything, but Kofi later told me there just wasn't that spark. That leads us to Kelly Carlyle, our next door neighbour and my best friend. She has a bit of a past and people at school have mixed opinions about her, but she's the most wonderful girl you'll ever meet. Somehow, she and Kofi became friends and it took a while, but soon enough, Kofi realised Kelly was all he wanted.

Everything's kind of...settled down now. I'm back on the cheerleading squad and we're the second best team in California (damn those bitches in Fresno with their perfect split jumps!) but I'm more than that. I've got amazing friends and an amazing boyfriend. Plus, my grades aren't bad either.

If this was a conversation and not an email, it would be very one-sided! Are Abby and Dan still dating? Did Tina's parents divorce? And how many boyfriends has Danielle had since Kofi left? More importantly, how quickly did she get over him? LOL!

Please write back, I'd love to hear how everyone's doing!

Love (and I mean it!) Evie Xxxxxxxx

Sufficiently happy with how the email looked, Eve pressed the 'Send' button and sat back in her chair with a satisfied nod. For months, she'd been meaning to email Brooke and now she'd done it, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders; not that emailing a life-long friend was any sort of burden.

It was a Sunday and a reasonably slow moving one. Eve had spent the morning in her bedroom, creating a collage for the pinboard above her desk. A compulsive storer, Eve kept everything she laid hands on and therefore had lots to display; movie stubs, greeting cards, train tickets and of course, millions of photos from her beloved Polaroid camera. There were photos of her and her family, her and the cheerleaders, her and her hometown friends, her and her two best friends Tiffany and Kelly and most importantly, photos of her and Ted.

One strategically placed photo was in the middle of everything and it was of her and Ted. It was taken during spring break on a trip the pair took to Venice Beach. Ted's family were spending the day there and they invited Eve along and Ted and Eve spent the day on the beach. It was their first real date and it was perfect; the sun, the sea, the sand and each other's company. The photo itself was taken on the boardwalk with the sea stretched out behind them and palm trees either side of them. The way her arms were wrapped around his waist, the way he smiled down on her; just looking at the photo gave Eve butterflies.

They were in love.

"Eve!" Her mother Carol's voice floated through her bedroom door. "Ted's here!"

Hopping to her feet, Eve practically bounced down the stairs to greet her boyfriend, who looked as gorgeous as ever in black shorts, a white polo tee and aviator sunglasses. Handing Eve the dripping ice-cream he was holding in his left hand, he offered up a sheepish smile. "I passed an ice cream truck on my way here. Sorry it's melting a little." He paused as a lump of ice-cream fell on the wooden floor. "Or...a lot."

As she led him through to the garden, Eve wondered what she'd done to deserve such a nice guy. Who cares if the ice-cream was melting? The fact he bought her an ice-cream was enough. Her mother always told her that her stepfather Andrew won her over with the small things and before, Eve didn't understand. Now she did.

"It's the thought that counts." She smiled, holding out the ice-cream for him to lick, which he did, before she took it back.

The pair sat themselves down on a bench in the far corner of the garden, shaded from the blazing heat. Eve sat with her back to one of the bench arms and her legs stretched across Ted's lap, his hands stroking at her smooth calves.

"So how's your day been?" Eve asked.

"Not bad. I crashed at Cody's last night and went to the garage with Brett so he could get his car fixed." He paused. "Actually, on my way to the garage, I saw Jack and Miz."

"Oh yeah?" Eve's expression soured.

"At the gas station. Miz was filling up his car and Jack was riding shotgun." He grinned, tapping Eve's leg lightly. "By your expression, I take it you're not too thrilled."

Eve sighed, running her fingers through her tresses. "I don't know if I can ever really forgive them for what they did to me. I mean, yeah, they both apologized but..." Her voice trailed away, eliciting another sigh. She was never going to be the best of friends with Jack Swagger and Mike Mizanin but she was mature enough to move on after what had transpired a couple of months prior. "Whatever, I'm over it."

"Good because we have five days left of school and then the whole summer to enjoy together. And we don't have to see Miz and Jack for over a month." He took off his sunglasses and put them on Eve, before raising one of his eyebrows. "Has Kelly spoken to her aunt yet?"

Eve held up her right hand and crossed her middle and index finger. "Her aunt's been on holiday but gets back later this week so Kelly will call her back then."

They had a plan. It wasn't bulletproof yet, but it was pretty sturdy. Eve didn't like to think about it too much at the fear of jinxing it, but she knew if it went ahead, it'd be the best summer ever.

"That'll be thirteen dollars fifty, please." From behind the 7Eleven counter, Kelly retained her dazzling smile as she piled the items into a bag before handing it to the customer.

Dropping some coins onto the counter, the woman looked like a harassed mother, seemingly rushed off her feet. Dark circles outlined her eyes, her highlighted hair was scraped up in a scraggly ponytail and with three young kids tugging at the hem of her smock top, she was in serious need of some help. In more ways than one. She offered Kelly a weak smile, as she rubbed her fingers against her forehead.

"Cute kids," The blonde of the two signalled at the two girls and little boy with a genuine smile. All three stopped and looked up at Kelly with wide eyes that made her heart melt however about five seconds later, the silence was shattered as all three began chirping at each other.

"Only until they're yours and you have to put up with them twenty-four-seven." The woman rolled her eyes and placed the bag on the back of the pushchair. "Little word of advice, sweetheart. Leave the baby-making for a very long time. Enjoy your youth."

The closer Kelly looked at the woman, the younger she appeared. Now, she could've easily been in her early twenties and with her oldest kid looking about six, she must've been just a child herself when she had her kids.

"Don't get me wrong," She quickly defended, waving her hands in front of her. "I love my kids dearly – they're my world – but having them kind of put the rest of my life on hold..."

Kelly found herself drifting back a couple of years. Her own pregnancy definitely clouded any kind of realistic decision-making. In her head, she honestly thought she could give her potential daughter a great life and that the fact she loved her would be enough for them to get by. Her miscarriage still weighed heavy on her heart every single day – and probably would for the rest of her life – but she had to move on. She was finishing her junior year of high school and for the first time in years, she was genuinely happy. The daughter she never had would always be a part of her but it couldn't hold her back anymore.

"...but you'll know what I mean when you're pregnant," The woman continued, despite the fact Kelly had completely zoned out.

Blinking a couple of times as she attempted to return to reality, she offered up one final smile. "Have a nice day, ma'am."

Gathering up her children and placing the youngest into the stroller, she made her way out of the shop, screaming kids in tow. As Kelly breathed a sigh of relief, silence once again flooded over the shop and she sat back in her chair, idly flipping through a copy of People magazine.

"Gum?" Out from the backroom came her co-worker, Marnie, who was ready to start her shift. Around her mother's age, Marnie had perfectly styled, short dark hair and was always chewing on a stick of bubblegum like a teenage girl. Kelly occasionally wondered if Marnie was going through some kind of crazy midlife crisis in which she wanted to be an adolescent again.

"No thanks," Kelly shook her head, resting her head against her chin. "I shouldn't be here," Her eyes were transfixed out of the window. It was probably the best day LA had been all year and there she was, sat inside, pouring Slushies for the lucky kids that could sit out in their gardens and drink them. Life wasn't fair.

"Huh?" Marnie sat down in the chair next to Kelly and pulled out her nail file, the board scratching down Marnie's pearly pink tips.

"Nothing," She muttered, sipping from her bottle of Gatorade.

"Well, it looks like your day just got a little better."

The automatic doors opened and the smile on Kelly's face widened as Kofi walked towards her. He was wearing basketball shorts, Nikes and a black wife beater vest, with a fresh sheen of sweat on his face. That was when Kelly found him sexiest; when he'd just come back from basketball practise and he looked rugged and manly.

"Sweetie, I know it's hot, but really?" Marnie signalled at his damp brow.

"Was this not a giveaway?" He took the basketball he'd been holding under his arm and spun it on his finger. "Hey baby." He leaned over the counter to kiss Kelly, able to taste Gatorade and strawberry lipgloss in his mouth when he pulled away.

"Basketball with the guys?"

Kofi nodded. "Yup. Now that's done, I have the rest of the day free. Wanna come with me? I have to shower first, although you can't come in the shower with me because my parents are home..."

"Funny," Kelly poked her tongue out. "I'd love to but I've got another-" She peered at the watch on her wrist. "-hour left of my shift-"

"Go!" Marnie chuckled, already taking Kelly's copy of People. "You're only young once. Besides, it's not exactly packed out in here. Enjoy yourself."

"You sure?"

"Positive. One of us should be enjoying the sunshine."

Kelly placed a kiss on Marnie's cheek. As she left with Kofi, she called over her shoulder, "I owe you, Marns!"

They strolled over to the car and as she got inside, Kelly instantly felt comforted. Kofi and Eve shared a car so there was a wonderful mix of her best friend and her boyfriend in there. It smelt of Marc Jacobs Lola and Coca-Cola with a hint of Kofi's dirty basketball kit in the air. Hanging from the rear view mirror were tiny pink dice and mini basketballs but when Kofi plugged in his iPod to the speaker, Kelly felt much happier. Especially when he let her choose songs.

"This again?" He started up the engine as Come Back Down by Lifehouse blasted into the car. Before they were even a couple, they danced to this very song at the school's Halloween dance, the moment Kelly realised she'd be at her utmost happiest in Kofi's arms. Of course, she was the one that put the song on Kofi's iPod but she knew he loved it really.

"We can listen to Kanye West afterwards," She rolled her eyes and leaned back in the seat.

As they reached a stoplight, Kofi took a hand off the wheel and ran the back of it across her forehead, his knuckles dragging over the smooth skin in what could have been a mini-head massage. "You're hot." He commented.

"Thanks."

"I meant your forehead. But yeah, that too."

"It's a warm day." Kelly pointed out before casually adding, "It'll be even warmer in Florida."

"Babe, I am so psyched for Florida."

"Don't get excited yet. My aunt Susan still needs to say yes to the house so I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"I won't!" He laughed, starting up the car again as the light flicked green. "I'm just saying that if it all goes ahead, it'll be awesome."

Biting down on her lip, Kelly allowed herself a small smile. "It would be pretty amazing."

There was one thing that struck her hard, like a hammer hitting a nail. Things were perfect, better than if possible, but what if Florida changed that? What if they came back and things weren't perfect anymore? She wanted things to stay just as they were and going away for over a month might alter their perfect relationship. The past couple of months had been the happiest of her life. Was she willing to risk it?

"Hey,"

Her boyfriend's voice completely snapped her out of her thoughts. How long had she been daydreaming for? Lifehouse was no longer playing, instead Kelly's current favourite song, Charice and Sean Kingston 'Pyramid' and they were pulling up to the street they lived on.

"Thought I lost you for a moment there."

"You'll never lose me." She said softly. "I'm yours."

Obviously things are just as blissful as we left them. But how long will it last?
Hope you enjoyed that first little taster, more of the characters will return in the next chapter!

Please review :)