A/N: Thanks to my beta for sitting down and going over this! Dedicated to my beta Azzie(Inkfire), and my friends for letting me use them as a basis for my OCs. :D Only one has a Fanfiction though-BlackTiger7221. Enjoy!
Welcome to Earth:
Chapter One: School's Out!
"10...9...8...7...6...5.." the pounding started "...4..." People from other classrooms down the hall could be heard "..3.." Four girls glanced at each other. The blonde with blue eyes smirked mischievously, another blonde, with shorter hair and a braid on the side of her head, rolled her eyes, trying (and failing) to stay cool. A dirty blonde jumped on top of her desk, and the teacher just laughed.
A strawberry-blonde with amber eyes that had been staring out the window for the past forty minutes started and looked around. Realizing what was happening, she leapt up and raised her voice, smiling excitedly at her three friends. Her face lit up, and bright afternoon sunlight fell through the window, making her glow with a halo of fire. Several other girls sighed in jealousy, a few guys whistled. The girl smiled at the teacher while making rude hand gestures at the boys, which made the girls snicker.
"….2...1! SUMMER!" the entire student body screamed as the final bell of the year rang.
The strawberry-blonde raced to the front of the room to jump on her friends, all of them squealing excitedly.
"So, Mel, you in or not?" asked the dirty blonde.
"Come on, Mel-ody!" Carmen whined on her way out the door. The brunette shot Melody a challenging glare, which the other girl returned.
She turned back to her friends, a grin lighting up her face. "I'm so in!"
On their way out, they met the last member of their little group, Bri, walking with AJ out to the latter's car. The dirty blonde went up to AJ and wound her arm through his, smiling sweetly up at him.
"Hey, Jay, want to give us a ride?" she asked, voice smooth as honey.
The dark-haired boy laughed. "Get in line, hun." he teased, gesturing to Bri. "She's already out-cuted me."
Bri swished her long black hair and smirked at the dirty blonde, who narrowed her ice-blue eyes dangerously.
"Knock it off." The blue-eyed blonde sighed. "Shay, Bri, chill. Seriously!"
"Why doesn't your boyfriend give us a ride, Wynter?" Shay asked innocently.
"Because Alec is driving his family to Michigan." Wynter replied coolly.
"How long will he be gone?" Melody asked. She knew her friend would get mopey after a week without Alec.
"Two weeks." Wynter sighed, already looking melancholy. "He got out of school today, too, so I had to say goodbye last night!"
"That's why you weren't texting me." the braided girl muttered crossly.
Wynter flashed her an apologetic look. "Sorry, 'Lyssa." she said, opening her big blue eyes so wide they began to water.
"Nope!" Melody cried, placing herself between them and planting her feet. "No crying! Not even fake-or forced-tears on this glorious day!"
"Dramatic as always, Mel-o-dy!" Shay sang.
"It's in my name! Honestly, if you haven't learned this in the past almost fourteen years, so help me-" Melody retorted, her amber eyes flashing.
She broke off as a certain dark-blonde, blue-eyed boy came her way. The embarrassed girl quickly closed her mouth and tossed her hair.
"Ohaiyo!" she chirped happily.
The boy just smiled. "Hey, I'm really sorry Mel, but I have to work Saturday. Maybe some other time, okay?"
The happy aura around Melody faded noticeably. He friends all gave each other meaningful looks.
"It's okay." Melody chirped, forcing a bright smile, a dim version of the previous one. "We're still going out for your birthday next week, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Of course." He reached out and gave her a hug, kissing her forehead gently before leaving.
"What's he upset about?" Bri asked. "He didn't even say 'good night'!"
"What's up with that?" Wynter queried. "He even says it at seven in the morning!"
"It's five-o'-clock somewhere..." Melody sang softly, tears blurring her vision.
"It'll be okay, Mel." Bri said, putting an arm around her friend's shoulder. "More time with me! We'll have our Lord of the Rings marathon-with all the extended versions! Did you bring your dad's copy of the books?"
Melody swung her backpack around her shoulder to her side and rummaged through it before triumphantly pulling out three large books.
"Weighted down with unneccessary luggage-" 'Lyssa began.
"As always." Wynter finished, smiling warmly, yet mischievously, at Melody.
By this time, they had been standing outside for a few minutes, just talking as they texted various people they knew, requesting a ride.
Suddenly, Melody got a horrible sensation in her stomach. She tucked her phone into her purse and looked around. She'd gotten this feeling before. When Shay and AJ moved away originally, when her grandma died, when Wynter's parents filed for divorce, and, more recently, when her dad and stepmom did the same. And every time she'd gotten dumped. It was the feeling that soon, in a few hours, everything was going to change. And nothing would ever be the same again.
Her senses were full of everything that called her name, made her think of home. Periwinkle blue sky, dotted here and there with little cotton ball clouds. Emeraldwaves flowing away towards the parking lot for the junior high across the street that would let out soon. There, the clear sound of the bell, ringing softly on the gentle breeze. The soft warmth of a late spring sun on her tanned, albeit scarred, skin.
Melody lifted her head and closed her eyes, breathing in deeply. The smell of a mix of her friends' perfumes and lotions filled her senses as energy thrummed through her slender little body.
"Picture moment!" she cried, opening her eyes and grabbing as many of her friends as she could reach at once.
"What for?" Wynter asked.
Melody smiled, joy radiating out from her, such pure joy that her friends again marveled at her personality. She was both innocent and wise beyond her years.
"To the incoming juniors-to being upperclassmen!" she cried.