Sunshine and lollipops

First-day excitement... and nerves.

Leon's POV

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I just rolled out of bed and I'm fixing my hair.

"Leon, are you up? You have to get ready for school, Tara is dropping you and Sandy off at school. You better be ready, you're leaving this house in fifteen minutes to go next door!" I hear my mother shout.

"Coming Mom!" I yell back. I quickly hurried through the room, picking up laundry that's been on the floor for days, and shove it in my laundry basket. I pull back my blinds, hastily make my bed and grab my clothes for the day. I pick out my favorite green shirt, homemade chameleon hoodie, pair of blue shorts, and scuffed black converse.

"Ready?" My mom says to me.

"Yep!" She gives me a quick kiss on the cheek and I run to Sandy's house.

Sandy has been my best friend since we were 3. I've lived here my entire life and Sandy moved here when he and I were three. My mother forced me to go play with the new boy next door. He ended up being my best friend, my confidant. It's been like that for as long as we have known each other. We've shared things that neither of us has ever told anyone. Like he's told me about his father, and how he wishes he could come back. I've been there for him on all the good and bad days. And nothing will ever change that.

I knock twice on the door.

"Leon!"

"Sandy! Are you excited for the first day of eleventh grade? Junior year!!! Finally!" I exclaim.

"A little. Next year though, we'll be seniors. It's crazy, we've been through so much together and now we're almost at the end of our high school career. It's crazy," he adds. "Come on in, my mom made some breakfast for us, we're about to leave though so I suggest you eat fast or at school. You know how my mom is with eating in the car. She made powercube looking pancakes for breakfast."

"Where's Nita?" Sandy asks.

"Oh, I didn't tell you? She went to stay at Bea's for the weekend. Something about too many boys in the house or something. My mom has been working a lot but I don't know she's a teen."

"So are we."

I guess Sandy makes a good point, but honestly, Nita has seemed really distant from us so far. She's become more girly, boy crazy, and mean. I have no clue why. Hormones? I don't want to tell Sandy that because Nita and he are good friends and I don't want to upset him. However, she did go to stay at Bea's house so that's not a lie...

I stick a smile on my face as I go into the house.

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Wow. Our second to last year of high school. I walk into the building, Sandy at my side, backpack over my shoulder and looking confident and sleek.

"Oh look at you, Leon! So confident. Maybe you'll be able to pick up some girls this year!"

"Bibi what a surprise. Nice to see you too."

"Come on, sound more excited! We're so close to being seniors. King of the hill once more."

"I am excited! Just nervous, the classes are harder and we have to apply for colleges. It's scary. I'm not ready for all that pressure to be put on me, sometimes I wish I could be a little kid again and not have to worry about all the stresses that an adult has ."

"Leon, you're one of the smartest kids I know, you'll get into a great college. You don't have to worry about it," she says sincerely. "Unlike someone here.."

She motions to her boyfriend. They have been on and off dating for two years now. It's kinda weird having two of my best friends date and then not and then date again. Also kinda annoying. But I guess summer love brought them back together again. For now. I decide to change the subject.

"So why are you so obsessed with Crows, dude? You were one last Halloween..."

"What's your obsession with chameleons? We can't choose the things we're obsessed with."

I hold my finger up to defend myself. "I- I, that's a very good point," I stutter as I lower my hand. Crow looks at me with a smug face and I start laughing uncomfortably.

"Alright love birds, break it up," Jacky says from behind us giving us the middle finger and muttering something rude under her breath.

"Wow Jackhammer you haven't changed a bit. Glad your still the same jerk you've always been."

"Nothing changes here hoodie boy, unlike your ever-growing love for me."

"As if!" I yell back as she smirks at me.

"Is Sandy back yet?" I ask Bibi, trying to shove down my angry feelings towards Jacky. 

"Looks like he isn't, what's he doing?"

"He's getting our schedules and locker combinations." I look down the hallway and see a flash of purple hair. "Never mind, there he is. Sandy!" I shout down the hallway, his head pops up and gives me a wave before jogging down the hallway.

"Leon, we have homeroom, chemistry, P.E, English, history, and art. Sadly, I'm taking Spanish and you're taking French."

"So, obviously, we won't have those classes together, what're the other classes we don't share?"

"Math, that's it," he says.

"That's actually pretty good, considering last year we just had homeroom together."

"That was terrible, I never got to see you," he hands me my schedule in a formal dramatic way. We both start laughing.

"Quit it lover birds, we don't want to see or hear your antics at all this year," Jacky shouts down the hallway. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sandy is swaying back and forth and is blushing. Wonder why. I'm playing with the drawstring of my hoodie before I comprehend what Jacky just said.

"SHUT UP JACKY!" I shout. She really has no filter.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"If you don't I'll tell the whole school you kissed Carl!"

"Oh wow, threats. I'm soooo scared." After another eye-roll Jacky decides to finally leave us alone.

I see Sandy has started to walk the way to homeroom. I run up to him and grab his shoulders. He turns around to face me but doesn't meet my eyes. I notice a small tear leaking from his eye.

"Hey, you know Jacky was just joking back there, right? We're just friends, no need to feel embarrassed." I whisper in his ear so no one hears. He looks up at me but his eyes aren't focused.

"Yea, just friends, nothing to worry about," he says quietly then drops his gaze to the floor.

"Come on, let's go to homeroom and just forget about what just happened, okay?" He nods slightly. I grab his arm and I lead the way to homeroom.