1 Chapter 1: Fresh Start

"RAVEN!!! GET UP, YOU'RE ALREADY LATE!"

I've been awake since 5:30 am because my nerves wouldn't let me sleep. I turn to my alarm clock, 1:30 pm. Today's my first day attending class at Redwood High. It's the middle of the school year and I just know I have a lot to catch up on. Everything would've been fine if …

A loud knock on my bedroom door interrupts my thoughts as I laid in bed. The door opens slowly and from the corner of my eye, I can see my brother's head peek through the door.

"Hey, little bird," Sean says when he sees me sprawled out on my bed. I smile back at him and sit up. "Go get ready so I can drop you off. I'll be late for work but I wanna see you attend your first day at your new high school."

I tell him ok and get ready for school. After getting ready I get my school bag and head outside. I lock the front door and head to the car where Sean is waiting.

On the way to school, I think about how it's just been Sean and me for 3 years. It's been 3 years since mom and dad's accident. He worked even harder than before, just to keep us off the streets during summer. By the end of summer, his best friend Ronan, offered him a job to be his business partner. Sean was hesitant but I helped Ronan persuade him into taking the job. It's been 2 ½ years now and we're doing well.

The car comes to a stop and I realize we've arrived. I look at Sean and give him a nervous smile. Being the big brother he is, he gives me a bear hug and kisses the top of my head.

"You'll do great. I just know it. If anything starts to become too much, you call me right away." Worry obvious on his face. I smile and give him a nod. I get out of the car and grab my stuff from the back seat. Before I close the door Sean speaks up, "I talked to one of the seniors last week when I came here, and he said he'd be happy to be your friend. Maybe even help you around campus…but I forgot his name." he says sheepishly.

"Of course you would" I roll my eyes at him and laugh a little. "I'll call you when classes are over. Love you." Sean mouths "love you too" before driving away.

I turn around to look at the building in front of me. REDWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. All in red letters. I make my way in and head to the office to get situated on my first day. Walking down the crowded halls, I hear whispers coming from the students. All their eyes on me start to make me feel conscious of myself and I don't like it.

It's my first day at Redwood High and there are rumors already going around campus. It's annoying but I don't let it get to me. Can't back out now. Reality check, it's always like this in every school whenever they hear that a new student is transferring to their school. Some rumors I've heard were absurd, like the one I've heard a lot I moved in the middle of my senior year because I was "heartbroken" and I wanted to just move away. I found that one really stupid since I've never really been in an actual relationship but I just ignored it. The main reason why I had to move was that I got expelled from my old school due to being friends with the wrong people and I ended up paying the consequences. And staying in our old home was just too painful…

After I got my class schedule from the office I checked to see what class I had to attend right now. GENERAL BIOLOGY EAST WING LAB RM#3. As I grab my backpack and get ready to go to class, I realize I don't know where any of the classes are.

"Mrs. Rogers?" I turned to the old lady behind the desk. She looks up at me from her computer screen and gives me a sweet smile.

"Yes, darling. What seems to be the problem?" she says as she puts her glasses down.

"Do you know where I can find Lab Room #3 in the East Wing?" starting to feel nervous, my hands starting to fidget a little.

"Oh, wait. I remember that Mr. Sinclair was supposed to show you around." She says before turning in her seat to make a call. I sit back down near the door and wait for this Sinclair dude. After a few minutes, someone knocks on the door.

Mrs. Rogers tells the person to come in and this tall dude comes in. I feel like a child at my 5'1 height. Checking him out, his deep voice cuts catches me off guard "You must be Raven McClain?" I look down, feeling embarrassed, knowing I got caught.

"Yes, I am. And you must be Mr. Sinclair?" I smile, looking up at his dark chocolate-colored eyes. Being 5'1 is annoying when everyone is taller than you and you have to strain your neck up just to see them.

"Jackson Sinclair," he says as his full almond lips turn into a smirk. I move back a little hoping he doesn't notice my discomfort. He looks at me for a few seconds before speaking, "I'll be showing you around campus for the day so you know where everything is." He turns around and walks straight out of the office.

I get my things and catch up to him seeing as he's already out the door. "Can you slow down a bit? My legs aren't that long like yours, giant." I say the last part in a whisper hoping he didn't hear me. Of course, his amused snort tells me he did. Thankfully he slowed down a little so I can catch up.

"What class do you have right now?" he says as we stop by my locker. I hand him my schedule and he looks through it. "Looks like we're classmates. So just follow me from now on," he says as he gives me back my schedule. I stuff my schedule into the small pocket of my backpack and open my locker. After stuffing the books I don't need in my locker, I close and lock it.

"Let's go…?" I turn to him, ready to head to class. He just looks at me and starts walking towards what I think is our Gen.Bio class.

We reach Lab Room #3 and I can tell the class is already in session. Jackson enters and I follow him. The teacher stops and tells Jackson to take his seat.

"Hello, you must be Raven McClain?" the teacher motions me to come forward, "please introduce yourself to the class."

I turn to the class, already feeling nervous, "Hi, my name is Raven Leilani McClain, as you already know. I'm 17. And today's my first day here in Redwood." I say with a smile at the end.

"Thank you, Miss McClain. Please take a seat and we will resume class. Oh, and my name is Mr. Langford." I mouth a thank you before looking for an empty seat. The only empty seat was at the back in front of Jackson Sinclair.

After I take a seat, Mr. Langford continues class and I do my best to pay attention until class ends. Halfway through class, I feel someone poking my back. I turn around annoyed because I have been ignoring it for 3 minutes straight and this person just won't stop.

"WHAT?" I whisper yell, seeing it was Jackson, I roll my eyes and look at him with a "well?" look.

"Nothing, I was just bored." he says in an "eh" tone, his facial expression holding no expression. I turn around and continue to focus on the lesson. Jackson stopped bothering me until the end of class. The school bell rings signaling that the period has ended and we have a few minutes to get to our next class.

I pull out my crumpled schedule from the small pocket of my backpack and look for what class is next. FREE PERIOD | EAST WING | ENGLISH RM 1. I turn around to ask Jackson something, only to see that he was already looking at my schedule.

"That's a 2-minute walk from here so we won't need to hurry," he says before looking at me and gives me a small smile. I give him one in return before putting my stuff away and head towards the door Jackson exited. Jackson seemed to be in his thoughts the whole time we walked to the English room. When we arrive, we take our seats at the back. How I wish I didn't sit at the back with him.

The bell rings again and the room starts to fill in with other students. Everyone is doing their own thing in class. Either doing homework and other assignments, talking, playing around, and just normal high school things kids usually do during a free period.

Our senior class advisor walks in and tells us that there's a new student that has joined our school year, aka me. When she sees me she asks me to come forward and introduce myself to everyone. As I walk up to the front, I can already hear people whispering to each other, obviously making up some gossip about me. Already feeling uncomfortable, I introduce myself as usual and head back to my seat.

Before I took a seat, a girl who looks like…one of Cinderella's ugly sisters, asks me out loud "so Raven, what's the real reason why you transferred here?" she says with a smirk.

I smile at her before I tell her that it was just a personal reason that I don't feel comfortable sharing. Of course, she's annoyed that she didn't get the answer she wanted she looks at Jackson, who's behind me.

"What do you think, Sin? Why do you think she moved?" she says with a little mischief glint in her eyes.

I turn towards Jackson, already looking at me with an expressionless face, and the next words that came out of his mouth are words I never wanted to hear. "Raven's parents killed themselves by driving off a bridge. Probably got tired of taking care of her, they thought they should just give that job to her brother."

All I saw was red. The next thing I know, I'm being held back by our homeroom advisor, everyone is screaming, my right hand is in a fist and is bloody, and Jackson….on the floor. Eyes wide. Shocked. With a bloody nose.

"ENOUGH!" our advisor yells with authority clear in her voice. "SINCLAIR. MCCLAIN. DETENTION NOW!"

I shake our advisor off me and get my stuff. Walking out of the class, slamming the door behind me in the process, I make my way to detention. I hear footsteps behind me and I don't bother looking back, already knowing who it is behind me.

"Detention is this way, Raven," Jackson says behind me. I don't say anything. I turn around and follow him to the room.

When we get to the room, the P.E teacher already knew what we were in for and told us to take a seat. I sit at the far right side of the class, near a window. Trying my best to calm myself from what had happened. How he knew about my parent's accident, I have no idea. Trying not my best not to cry, I take in slow breathes and remember the technique my parents taught me whenever I was close to having a panic attack or whenever my emotions were too much to handle.

Flashback

"5 things that you see, Raven. Now 4 things you hear. 3 things you can smell. 2 things you can feel. 1 thing you can taste." mom would hug me while caressing my head and dad would tell me the steps over and over again. "We're right here, Raven. We got you, honey."

"Now breathe, Little Bird," I say to myself, remembering the nickname my parents gave me. A sad smile forms on my lips as I remember my parents.

Flashback ends.

I feel a presence next to me, knowing who it is, I don't turn around. I feel like if I turn around I would cry or punch him. Leaning towards the latter.

"Raven…" Jackson sighs noticing I won't turn around to look at him. "Look I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I have no idea why I said what I said but if I could take it back I would."

I turn to look at him, masking my emotions. "Thanks." And that's all I say before turning back to look out the window.

"Raven, please. I'm so-"

"How'd you know?" I ask without turning to look at him.

"What?" obviously confused, I turn to look at him, "How did you know they got into a car accident?" my voice breaks a little but I straighten myself and look him dead in the eye, waiting for him to tell me.

Jackson looks down and sighs before looking back at me. "Last week, when your brother came here to transfer your information to this school, Mrs. Rogers introduced me to him. I had just finished basketball practice that day. We talked for a bit and he told me. He told me that one of the reasons why you guys moved to Redwood Hills was because you both wanted a new life. And that your parents had died in a car accident."

He looks at me like he's waiting for a reply but when he notices he won't get one, he continued, "Your brother told me they drove off a bridge on their way home due to heavy rain that night. He asked me to be your friend when you arrive. I'm sorry for what I said, Raven." We both stay quiet for a few minutes before I speak up.

"Next time you bring up my parents like that, make sure you have insurance for plastic surgery. And I forgive you. But this will be the last." I say with a warning tone as I look at him with an upset face.

His face lights up like a kid on Christmas day, "I promise" is all he says before sticking his hand out for me to shake.

"Friends?" Jackson says, looking a bit nervous. I look at his hand before shaking it and smile a little.

"Friends." I take his hand and shake it. I look up at him and smile. "Let's start over. I'll start."

Jackson just smiles at me and nods in agreement.

"Hi, I'm Raven McClain. It's nice to officially meet you, Mr. Sinclair." I give him a toothy grin and take my hand out to shake. He takes my hand in his and shakes it before he talks.

"Nice to meet you, Raven. Mr. Sinclair is my old man." He laughs remembering what I called him when we first met at the office and continues, "I'm Jackson Sinclair. Call me Sin for short."

Even though my first day didn't turn out like I had hoped it would, I'm happy I made a new friend.