Hey (: Keepfaith-SmellApples here (you guys sick of me yet?) with another story. This is my first ever Mentalist story, and it's a High School AU. I really hope that someone hasn't done this before… I swear I didn't steal any ideas.

But this story takes all of the characters from the show, and just puts them into high school. Well, most of the characters. I'm including Angela and Charlotte (Jane's deceased family if you don't remember), and Hightower and O'Laughlin and maybe LaRoche as a stuffy principal.

But no Red John, probably. I want this to be a happy story.

Wenesday

Patrick Jane stepped out of his mother's car, and into the chilly fall air. He looked up at the house- his house, now, he supposed, and took a deep breath. It was real. His family was really starting over.

Patrick felt a head poke out next to his legs. "Are we here?" His little sister, Charlotte, asked.

"Yes we are," Patrick's mom answered. She stepped out of the car too, and wrapped her arm around Patrick's shoulders.

"I wanna see it too," Charlotte scrambled out of the car, her blond curls blowing around her head as the wind blew again. "Let's go inside!" Charlotte grabbed Patrick's hand, and dragged him up the long driveway behind her, into the large house they would be living in from now on.

"Everything should be inside," their mom called, still standing at the car. "The movers unloaded everything yesterday."

Charlotte pushed open the unlocked door, and dragged Patrick into their new home.

"Mom said my room was the purple one," Charlotte pulled Patrick up the stairs, not stopping to look at the rooms on the ground floor. "But I have to make sure everyone is out of the boxes. They don't like the boxes."

'Everyone' was Charlotte's massive stuffed animal collection. She adored them.

"I'm going to go help mom get our suitcases out of the car," he stopped her in the middle of the staircase. "But I'll come and help you unpack the boxes later, okay?"

"'Kay," Charlotte said, running up the rest of the steps. "Bye Patrick."

"Need a hand, mom?" Patrick asked, coming out of the house.

All 10 suitcases (the majority of their clothing had been sent with the movers) were lined up at the bottom of the driveway. "That'd be great, sweetie." His mom checked her watch. "I'm going to go see if there's a place around here where I can pick up dinner. And I'd like to get to know the area a little better."

Patrick nodded. "I'll look after Char."

He waved to his mother as she drove away, and started to carry the suitcases into the new- his house.

After his third trip of carrying them inside, he saw a group of teens walking along the sidewalk across from his house.

"Hey, new guy!" A girl called, and they started to walk across the street towards him. He met them with at the bottom of the driveway.

"I'm Angela Ruskin." The girl who'd called him earlier spoke. Her hair was strawberry blonde and flowed down over her overly tanned shoulders. He couldn't help but wonder why she was so tan. "This is Miranda." She nodded her head at the raven haired girl next to her, and then at the boys behind her. "And this is Craig and Wayne."

"I'm Patrick. Patrick Jane." He smiled.

"So, where'd you move from?" Miranda asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Chicago," he answered. "My mom and dad split up and she wanted to get out of the city."

"Oh, sorry," Angela pouted, but other than that, it didn't look like she cared much. "Are you going to CBI?"

She rolled her eyes at the blank look on his face. "Charles B. Icaria high school, dumbass." She stopped, waiting for him to answer.

"No, no, I'm going to Ch... CBI."

"Cool man," one of the boys, Wayne, punched him on the shoulder. "You play ball? Craig and I are on the football team, I'm quarterback and the coach is great, and we're always looking for new players on the team. You should try out, dude." Wayne pointed to the house across the street. "That's my place. Come over anytime. We can practice if you want to."

"Cool, and thanks, but I'm really more if a soccer person." Jane smiled. "And I have to get these inside. My little sister's waiting for me inside."

"I'm having a party Friday night... To celebrate the first day of school."

Angela rolled her eyes, ignoring his past statement. "Anyway, you should come. My house is like five minutes away. Craig's next door. And she doesn't even live around here," Angela elbowed Miranda, and the girl bit her lip. "But we have to go. Later."

And just like that, they were gone, down the street again.

"Yes, I know, and I swear that I will talk to him... No, I'm sure it's probably just... Or course he will. Thank you." Teresa Lisbon forced a smile onto her face, even though the middle school secretary couldn't see her through the phone. "Of course. Goodbye." She clicked the phone off, and sighed.

"Thomas!" She shouted up the stairs. "Come down here right now!"

She heard the loudest sigh, and then the sound of heavy, forced steps on the stairs, until her little brother was in sight. "I just got off the phone with your school."

He rolled his eyes and turned around, starting back up the stairs. "Tommy- stop!"

He stopped, and turned around, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why do you care?"

She ignored his question. "Tommy, you need to stop doing this! School starts in *three* days. You were caught violating the school property's... Again! This time on camera!"

"Why do you care?" He repeated.

"Tommy, this isn't good for you. I just wish that you wouldn't-"

"Why do you care?" He snaps, his voice raising a level. "You're not mom, Teresa. Stop pretending!"

She paused before answering, taking a deep breath. "Tommy," she started, her voice soft. "I know that this has been hard for you, but-"

"No you don't!" He snaps. "Actually- no. Never mind. I'm leaving." He pushes past her, and towards the front door.

She pressed her lips together. "Just please be back before your father gets home," she says softly as he opens the door. "Please."

"Fine," Teresa heard him say, before he slammed the door behind him.

Do you guys like this? Any critiques? Ideas? Grace and Cho will be introduced in the next chapter, and I hope the story isn't too confusing! Please review!