January eleventh of 2000 did not start as a fun day for Riley Casey. It was just three months after she left Chicago, her home, as well as the family she had grown to know and love to live a distant relative she didn't know.
Her aunt and her husband were both very nice, but Riley was used to her adoptive family and was annoyed she had to move from Chicago to Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. She didn't know anybody and already had a hard time making friends and now she had to start at a whole new school.
When Riley arrived at her new high school, she headed straight for the front office, not bothering to look around the building. A boy around Riley's age dressed in a football uniform was leaned standing off to the side, talking to what looked to be his friend.
"Can I help you, hun?" the woman at the front desk asked, looking at Riley.
"Oh yes, sorry, Today's supposed to be my first day here" Riley explained to the woman.
The woman asked for Riley's name before she walked away, going to look for the young girl's schedule.
Riley couldn't help but look back to where the football boy was standing and sure enough he was still there, except this time he was also looking at her. He sent her a shy smile, making her blush before looking away.
"Okay, here is your schedule and a map of the school. Since it's only a few months into the school year and everything is still crazy we don't really have anyone to show you around, but-" the woman explains to Riley but is suddenly cut off.
"It's okay, Ms. P, I can show her around" a friendly voice says, causing Riley to look at the person who offered to help her.
Sure enough, football boy smiles at her.
"Oh, would you, Jamie? This is Riley Casey, she's in your grade" the woman, Ms. P, says before getting back to work.
"You don't have to show me around, really, I wouldn't want to bother you" Riley told him but Jamie shook his head"I would love to, come on we have thirty minutes before first period" Jamie says, before taking Riley's hand and pulling her out of the office.
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Half of the day had gone by and it was time for lunch, Riley spent most of her classes thinking about Jamie and his stupid smile that made butterflies fly around in her stomach.
She had talked to some people but only briefly and not enough to call them friends yet.
After getting her tray of food, she looked around the lunchroom, not really sure where to sit or what to do. She spotted an empty table and was planning to take it until someone put their hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you can come sit with me and my friends if you want?" Jamie offered as he pointed to a table with a group of four guys sat around it.
"Are you sure? I don't want to intrude, I can go sit at that empty table, it's not a big deal" Riley tells him, worried that she would bother his friends.
Jamie shakes his head immediately "either you come sit with us or I sit with you at that table, I'm not letting you sit alone at lunch, Riley" Jamie tells her sternly but with a small smile on his face.
"Lead the way" Riley tells him and Jamie smirks, knowing he won and happy he got her to agree before guiding her over to the table where his friends sit.
"Hey, guys, this is Riley! Riley this is Nick, Collin, Nathan, and Aaron" Jamie introduces.
Jamie, like the gentlemen he is, pulls out a chair for Riley, causing her to say a quiet thank you, before he sits across from her.
"So you're the famous Riley" Nick says with a teasing tone.
Jamie smacks him on his arm to shut him up.
"Famous?" Riley asks, tilting her head.
Jamie almost loses it right there at how cute he finds her head tilting.
"Yeah, ever since this morning, Jamie would not shut up about you. Seriously, every second he has to talk, it's been Riley this, Riley that" Nathan speaks up from next to Riley, smirking at her "I'm gonna go ahead and say you've got our Jamie falling for you" he adds on.
"Guys, what do you not understand about shut up?" Jamie glares at his friends before looking at Riley "Ignore them, they're stupid" he tells her and Riley can't help but smile at how flustered Jamie is.
"It's okay, I think it's cute" Riley says shyly before looking away from Jamie and directing her attention to whatever weird conversation his friends were in the middle of.
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"Hey, Riley, are you coming to the game tonight?" Jamie asks as he leans against the locker next to the brown haired girl's locker.
"What time is it at?" Riley asks, shutting the locker door.
"seven" Jamie tells her, hoping she'll come to the game to see him play.
"Okay" she responds, nodding.
"Great, if you get here early I can introduce you to my brother, Joe, he's like my best friend" Jamie says excitedly as him and Riley begin to walk down the hallway.
Riley feels the nerves at the thought of meeting Jamie's brother who she learned is a cop during their talks throughout the day. "That'd be cool." Riley tells him, agreeing with the idea.
Jamie smiles, happy that she agreed. "I'll walk you out, I would offer to walk you home but I have to stay here for the game..." Jamie trails off, feeling bad that he can't walk the girl home.
"No, it's okay, I understand. Walking me out is enough" Riley tells him, not wanting him to feel bad and Jamie smiles, nodding "I'll walk you home tomorrow, promise" Jamie tells her, holding up his pinky.
Riley giggles before wrapping her pinky around his and Jamie takes notice of the funny feeling in his stomach for what seems like the hundredth time that day.
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Later that day, Riley lays stomach down on her bed, the phone pressed against her ear as she waits for her adoptive parents to pick up.
"Hello?" her dad's rough voice picks up, making Riley smile.
"Hi, dad!" Riley says excitedly, making the young Hank Voight smile on the other side of the phone.
"Hi, sweetheart, you sound happier than usual. Guess school went well?" Hank asks, taking note of his adoptive daughter's tone.
"I met a boy today" Riley tells him, a giddy tone to her voice.
Hank mentally sighs, knowing she would grow up one day and here it was. "What's his name?" Hank asks, interested in in his daughter's crush.
"Jamie....he's really nice" Riley says dreamily and Hank can't help but chuckle.
Hank's raised Riley since she was three and for those 12 years, he had never once seen her have a crush on anyone but even he could tell this seemed to be more than a crush and it was just the first day.
"Is that Riley?" a boy's voice says in the background of the call "Can I talk to her?" the same voice asks.
There's shuffling before it stops and the voice is back but obviously near the phone "What's this I hear about a boy?" Justin's voice comes over the phone.
"Justin...." Riley sighs, knowing he's about to give some big brother talk about boys.
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Riley scans the field of football players, looking down at her outfit that consisted of overalls with a white shirt and black Chuck Taylor's. Someone taps her shoulder and she turns around to see Jamie, smiling down at her.
"You really have to stop doing that!" she tells him with a smile on her face.
"Sorry, it's just too easy. Come on I'll introduce you to my brother" Jamie says, taking her hand in his, for the second time that day, and pulling her towards the bleachers.
Jamie leads her to a brown haired guy wearing a black t-shirt with a leather jacket and jeans.
"Joe, this is Riley. Riley, this is my brother Joe" Jamie introduces the two, a big smile on his face.
Joe smiles, shaking Riley's hand "It's nice to meet you, Jamie has talked a lot about you in the span of the last hour" Joe says with an amused tone.
"He's told me a lot about you as well" Riley says with a smile.
The coach blows his whistle, signaling the players to get ready for the start of the game.
"That's my queue" Jamie sighs, getting ready to run onto the field.
"Good luck" Riley's calls after him before shyly turning back to Joe who has a smile on his face.
"Come on, we can probably find a good seat up there" Joe tells her before directing her to one of the rows in the bleachers.