A/N at the end. :)

BAU High School

Chapter 1: First Day

Emily Prentiss shifted her black messenger bag higher up on her shoulder as she stared at the large, stone building in front of her. She hated this part. The first day of school. This was her sixth high school in the last four years, and honestly, the first day never stopped being nerve-wracking. Her mom's job forced them to move a lot, so Emily had bounced from school to school. This was the last year of moving though. It was her senior year, and Emily had made her mother promise to keep her in one school for the duration of the year. Now, here she was, at Thomas Jefferson High School, on the first day. The Prentiss' house was only a few blocks away from the school, so Emily had walked there. Her mother wanted to come and help her get her schedule, but Emily told her not to.

Holding her head high, she walked up the front lawn of the school, trying to avoid students running around. She could hear various reunions of friends who had been apart for a summer. Her heart broke a little, and she found herself wishing she had a friend to talk to. Then she shoved it away, thinking, You have only one year here before you're off to Yale. There is no point in making friends. Her goal was to make it through the year without any problems, like snobbish popular girls. Like the girls that were standing by the school entrance.

A girl with a bandage on her nose rushed up the steps, looking like she didn't want the blonde girls to notice her. Still, the first girl hissed "Nose job. It's about time you fixed that huge thing," loudly enough for the poor girl to hear her. The other girl laughed and said, "Haley, look closer. It's not a nose job, she just wants us to think that." The girl with the bandage tilted her head down and darted up the stairs.

Haley turned to the other blonde. "How did you know?'

Mean blondie shrugged and said, "Intuition, I guess. I'm getting better at reading people. I'm not as good as Aaron though."

Haley grinned. "No one is as good as Aaron, JJ."

Emily watched all this and prayed they wouldn't notice her. It was the same at every high school: mean, popular girls who thought they ruled the school. And in a way, they did.

Emily was halfway up the stairs when they saw her. She had to have known they would see her. She was new and her all black clothing wasn't hard to miss. It wasn't that she was Goth, she just preferred to wear black.

Haley saw her first. "Ugh, look all that black. For a second, I thought I was going blind!"

JJ laughed. "What are you, Goth?" she asked Emily.

"No," Emily simply said as she hurried up the steps.

"What's your name, New Girl?"

"Emily," she replied, still walking at a fast pace. She was nearly at the doors. Still, she had to have known they wouldn't let her go so easily. They were not pleased with her snappish answers. Crossing their arms, they stepped in front of the doors, effectively blocking Emily's way in.

"Well then tell us about yourself Emily," Haley said in a fake friendly voice. "Where are you from?"

Emily didn't have time for this. She had to get her schedule and find her first class. She slid past the girls before they even knew what was happening and said, "Don't feel sharing right now." She couldn't see their faces, but she knew they were glaring at her. She also knew she wouldn't be seeing the last of them.

Entering the school, she easily located the front office, which was directly across the hall. Walking over, she yanked open the door and stepped into the waiting area. The secretary looked up at her.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm new here and I need my schedule."

The secretary beamed at her. "Ah, I see. Well, Principle Strauss always talks to the new kids, so if you wait just a second, she'll be right out."

Emily nodded and took a seat. Not a minute later, the door marked "Principle Strauss" opened and an older blonde woman stepped out. She glanced at Emily and said, "Ah, you must be Miss Prentiss."

Emily hated the word "Miss". It sounded too fancy. "Emily is just fine, ma'am."

Strauss pursed her lips. This one would give her trouble, she could already tell. "Come with me, Miss Prentiss." She turned and walked back into her office. Emily quickly stood up and followed.

Strauss gestured for Emily to take a seat in front of her desk. As she sat down, Emily glanced around the office, taking in all of the certificates and awards lining the walls. She could see some pictures on Strauss's desk of three kids, her kids most likely. Another thing Emily noticed was the many pictures of various sports teams. Football seemed most prominent, as was soccer.

Strauss flipped through a medium sized file, also known as Emily's transcript. "So, Miss Prentiss, I see you have attended six high schools."

"That is correct."

"Because of your mother's job?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, your grades seem perfectly fine. You'll have no problem fitting in there. However," Strauss looked at Emily critically over her glasses. "You have some behavioral issues and you have never participated in a school activity."

Emily frowned. "That's not true, Ma'am. I was in the debate club at three of the schools I've been to."

"What I meant was a sports team. Those are the ones that truly matter."

Suddenly everything connected for Emily. Strauss was one of the people who only cared about the success of the sports teams. Emily had a strong feeling that the star athletes of the school did whatever they wanted. "I don't think they are the ones that truly matter. There are plenty of other activities for students to do."

Strauss frowned at her. "Students who are unfit for sports. To be successful in this school, you need to play a sport."

Emily held Strauss's gaze defiantly. "I think I'll do fine. Now, may I have my schedule?"

Strauss looked pissed. "Miss Prentiss, I understand you've been to many schools, and maybe your attitude was allowed there. But it is not here. I will not stand for it. You should be careful about what battles you start." With that, she handed Emily her schedule and waved her out of the office. Emily strode out, feeling angry. This principle seemed downright unfair. Still, it was her first day. She couldn't make any assumptions just yet.

It took her a split second to realize that Strauss didn't offer to show her where her first class was. Normally she would just walk up to someone, but everyone in the hallway didn't look particularly friendly. She decided to brave it on her own. Glancing at the piece of paper in her hand, she saw her first class was Chemistry. Judging by the room number, the class should be on the second floor. Emily quickly located a stairwell and hurried up it. On the second floor landing, she froze. Now where? She didn't know. Before she could choose left or right, someone slammed into her.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" the person cried. At first, Emily was worried it was Haley or JJ and they ran into her on purpose. Then she realized this girl sounded genuine. Next she realized this girl was most definitely not friends with Haley or JJ. This girl had blonde hair too, but that was where the similarities stopped. She had purple glasses, and was wearing a bright blue dress with a white cardigan and pink shoes. Emily could even see multicolored streaks in the girl's hair.

"Are you okay?" the girl asked hurriedly. "I'm really sorry, I didn't see you. I was in such a rush, and I didn't watch where I was going. Are you alright?" she asked again.

Emily smiled. "I'm fine. I was just trying to find my classroom. I'm new here." As soon as she said it, Emily realized the girl probably knew that.

The girl smiled back. "Oh, maybe I can help you. My name is Penelope Garcia. What's yours?"

"Emily Prentiss," she replied, instantly liking Penelope.

"Where are you headed, Emily?"

"Uh, Chemistry with Mr. Danielson."

"I know where that is. If you turn right, his class is at the very end of the hallway."

"Thanks," Emily said in relief.

"No problem! Hey, when do you have lunch?"

"Fourth period."

"Me too! You should sit with me and my friend Spencer!" Penelope said excitedly.

"Alright, I will," said Emily, happy to have someone to eat with.

"Great, see you then!" With a little wave, Penelope was gone.

Emily grinned a bit, pleased that she had made a friend. Well, sort of. Following Penelope's directions, she found Mr. Danielson's classroom. Upon entering, she saw most of the lab tables were full. She could see a rowdy group of boys near the back throwing balls of paper around. She also noticed the groups of girls gazing at them in awe. Rolling her eyes, Emily approached the teacher, who was writing on the board.

"Hi, I'm Emily Prentiss. I'm new," she said, feeling kind of stupid. She felt a bit better when Mr. Danielson gave her a friendly smile.

"Welcome, Emily," he said. He handed her a textbook and said, "You can take a seat over by Mr. Hotchner over there." Emily looked over to where Mr. Danielson was pointing and saw that her new tablemate was one of the rowdy boys. Great, just what I need. She walked hesitantly up the aisle to her seat, trying to ignore the jealous glares. Her lab partner didn't pay her any attention when she sat down, so she started to pull out her books. She chanced a glance toward Hotchner and found herself staring into the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes she had ever seen. They were a deep, dark brown that sparkled with mischief. The next thing Emily noticed was his hair. It was a dark brown, and Emily found herself wishing she could run her hands through it. This boy was beyond handsome. She was too busy staring at him that she almost didn't hear him introduce himself.

"Hey," he said casually. "I'm Aaron Hotchner. And you are…?"

"Emily Prentiss," she said quickly, shaking the hand he offered. She shivered slightly at his touch. Something was nagging her in the back of her minds. Aaron. I've heard that name today. She pushed the thought away when he flashed her a grin, showing off a pair of beautiful dimples.

"You must be new."

She chuckled nervously. "Is it that obvious?"

He smiled again. "Kind of. But I've also lived in this town since I was born, so I know everyone."

"Ah, I see."

Aaron looked at his friends, who weren't really paying them any attention, and looked back at Emily before asking, "So where are you from?"

"Well," she said slowly. "I just moved from Massachusetts."

He quickly picked up on how she didn't say exactly where she was from. "This isn't the first time you've moved?"

She sighed. "Far from it. I've been to six high schools."

Aaron's eyes widened. "Wow. That must be tough."

"Yeah, it is, but you get used to it." Mr. Danielson started class at that moment, stopping any further conversation. Because it was the first day, there was a whole lot of listening. Still, Emily found herself sneaking glances at Aaron. He was listening attentively to what Mr. Danielson was saying, unlike his friends, who were whispering behind them. Emily was actually relieved that Aaron wasn't totally like them. It reassured her.

Before long, the bell ringed, signaling the end of class. Emily was actually disappointed. She didn't want to go to another class that might not have Aaron in it. She slowly put her books away, trying to see if he would talk to her or leave with his friends. For a second, it seemed like he would. They stood up and waited for him, as if he was their leader. Emily's heart sank when she saw this, but rose again when she heard him say, "Go on ahead. I need to talk to someone."

Her heart beat rapidly (which startled her) and she looked up. He was zippering up his backpack, eying the door. When the last person walked out, he looked at her. "Do you need help finding your next class?"

She smiled and replied, "Yeah, that would be nice."

He gave her a small smile and asked, "Where are you headed?"

She scanned her schedule and said, "Calculus with Mrs. Giovanni."

"That's on my way to my next class. I can walk you there."

Emily was a little disappointed that they didn't have the next class together, but accepted nonetheless. They were walking down the third floor hallway when someone yelled Aaron's name. Suddenly, Haley darted over and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a heated kiss. Emily's heart dropped to her stomach. That was where she had heard Aaron's name earlier: Haley had said it. It clicked in Emily's brain: Aaron and Haley were dating.

Haley finally came up for air and glared at Emily. "What are you staring at, Erica?"

"It's Emily," she said tightly.

"Whatever," Haley said, rolling her eyes. She looked at Aaron. "Why are you walking with her?"

"Mr. Danielson told me I had to show her to her next class," Aaron lied. "I couldn't get out of it." Emily's mouth dropped open. What?

Haley pouted. "Well, ditch her. I want to spend some time with you before my next class." She smiled at him suggestively and Aaron returned it with a cocky grin. Turning to Emily he said, "You can find your way, can't you Elise?" For second, he looked almost apologetic, but it was gone in a flash. Wrapping his arm around Haley, they walked off, Haley glaring victoriously at Emily.

Emily was still gaping. That asshole! She thought. She had thought wrong: Aaron Hotchner was just like all the other boys.

A/N: Hello! So I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my AU story, if you actually wanted to read the whole thing. I've had this idea for awhile, and I've written a few chapters, but not the whole story. I realize that may not be smart, but I was so eager to post it, I got impatient. :) Anyway, any kind of feedback would be wonderful. Tell me if you like it, if you want me to continue, if there's anything to want to see happen in the story, etc. If you have any criticisms, please keep it nice. I know that right now some characters (Aaron, JJ) aren't the best people in the world, but please bare with me. Every main character will make an appearance except for Elle because I don't have a place for her (But if you want to see her, I can try to add her in). OK, I think that was everything I wanted to say! Thank you for reading, and please please please review! :) :) They make my day. :)