A/N - Yay, its back! I'm sorry it took so long. Anyway, its pretty long (for me anyway), but I hope you like it. Ive ried ot give Laura a bit more character and fiestiness.

inandout - thanks foryour review! i do like geting reviews, from anyone really, im quite desparate! hehehe.

ickynicky -there are no parents in this chapter, there will be in the next one!


- letter three part i-

Dear Josh,

Just got back from school. I am all sweaty since we had to play Commandos for PE, the last two periods. I mean, c'mon, running around in a bush trying to capture a flag? What the hell?! Sorry, I'm not usually like this, just feeling majorly pissed off about what happened today.

My whole day it seems, was screwed over. It was year twelve's last day at school and you know what that means! Muck up day. The day where every grade, except year twelve, look around every corner before the walk. You have to be on your guard! Water bombs, eggs, honey on the handrails, shaving cream on the toilet seats. Food fights, obscene messages played over the loud speaker ("Mr Turner's a gay retard!") and cross dressing, all in the name of year twelve 'superiority'. The teachers cringe, last year they made Mrs Peterson cry. But we all endure it, because they have every right to. They are year twelve, after all.

Well, let me recount my day for you. I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. My hair was a mess, I can't be bothered fighting with it anymore. It's just too stubborn! I had a headache from the stupid music which was pumping way into the night and kept me awake. Walking groggily down the stairs, I saw my mum sitting in her blue robe and drinking a cup of tea. Seems like she was kept up too last night, judging from the bags under her eyes. Or maybe she always looks like that nowadays. I can't tell. I was crunching on my Milo cereal when dad came down the stairs too. He was dressed in a robe, which was unusual because by then he should have left the house for work.

"Why aren't you dressed Dad?" I asked. He was making a cup of tea.

"I'm not going to work today," he muttered under his breath.

"Why?" I asked.

"Don't ask so many questions!" he snapped. I looked at mum, she was looking down at the cup I my hands. Silently, I left my bowl in the sink and walked up the stairs to get ready for school. And silently was how I left the house.

I saw you at the bus stop, smiling as usual. You're always like that, you know? Smiling and happy and cheerful. And you make me happy by being happy. But then I saw the person behind you. And I wasn't happy. Yes. Mister 'Pump it Up' Jake who lives at sixty nine. With a smirk. Damn, I wanted to wipe it off.

"Hey," I said when I reached you. And at that exact same time, both you and Jake said "Hey" back. You with a smile, Jake with a smirk. You turned around.

"Hi," you said. "Are you new?"

"Yeah, I am," he said. You guys did this weird guy hand shake thing while in my head I was going, 'Oh my God, what a loser.'

"You know each other?" you asked quizzically, raising one eyebrow. Before I could open my mouth, that loser answered.

"Oh you bet! I know everything about Laura… including what pyjamas she wears," he replied with a wink and a knowing smile. Kill me, kill me now…I thought to myself. You shot me another inquisitive look, but before I could answer the bus pulled up. We got a seat in the middle, with Jake sitting behind us. You turned around, to talk to Jake.

"Where are you from?" you asked.

"Newcastle," he replied. Then you guys got talking about sport and how the Swans won on the weekend and all that other guy-ish stuff that doesn't appeal to me.

"So do you miss your friends back in Newcastle?" I heard you enquire.

"Yeah, I do. Had a best friend who I had known my whole life." I detected a tinge of sadness in his voice.

"God, that must be hard! I don't know what I'd do without Laura here," you said, patting my head. I felt myself go red, but I have no idea why. In the window reflection I saw Jake's eyebrow go up.

"How long have you two been together?" he asked. Together? US?! I thought frantically. I guess you must have had that same thought in your head because you just laughed.

"Oh… we're not together," you replied. "Are we Laur?"

"Haha… umm… no…" I spluttered. Facing Jake I could see amusement peeking through in his hard dark eyes.

"Oh ok, just seemed you guys are really…close," he finished off. You grinned, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, we've known each other forever."

"But you're not together?"

You shook your head. Just then, the bus came to an abrupt stop in front of the John Road sign. Sarah got on, her long blonde hair swaying behind her. And my stomach suddenly felt queasy. Spotting us, she grinned and made her way over.

"Josh! Laura!" she squealed. OK, maybe she didn't squeal. But her voice is definitely high pitched.

"Hey!" you greeted her. I merely mumbled a "hi". I mean, do we really know this girl? What? We've known her for a week and she's suddenly our best friend!? A cough interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh, Sarah, this is Jake," you said. "He's from Newcastle. Sarah's from Melbourne."

"Pleasure to meet you," I heard Jake say. God. What a suck up.

"Likewise." Slimy Sarah said smoothly, checking Jake out. Can anyone say ew?!

"Oh, did you guys watch Idol last night?" Sarah squealed and the bus ride continued.

It ended eventually, thank God. The rest of the bus ride was Sarah exclaiming how the hosts of Idol were so hot, when personally, I prefer guys our age. I noticed you smiling an awful lot at Sarah all through the ride, which for some reason really irked me. I mean, here was this brain dead blonde bimbo talking about how guys are hot and here's you… liking that?! I will never understand guys' minds. Especially Jake's mind, since he started talking to me as we walked up and into school, while you were talking to Sarah, no doubt still oogling her.

"So, what electives do you do?" Jake asked, while we were walking.

"Um… art, agriculture and commerce," I answer truthfully. Art is definitely a subject which I am not doing next year. I am terrible at it! The teachers all hate me in the art department. I only did it because I do not want to do music or drama. Agriculture is one of the more… relaxed subjects. Imagine going outside for whole periods, relaxing in the sun, or picking beans or collecting eggs. Just don't think about the smell. Commerce is the one my parents forced me into. Commerce is one big lot of crap, and it's so boring! I don't care about tax or superannuation funds! I'm only fifteen!

"I'm doing agriculture too," he said. "Are you in…um…" he got out his scrunched up timetable. "…Mr Terrioni's class?" I nodded. We were standing outside my locker now. I got out my key and started taking out my books. Jake stood by, just watching.

"So… do you think… you could show me around?" he asked, looking a little shy and vulnerable. So different from the Jake I saw last night, the Jake who had kept me up all night with his music pumping. Maybe it was the alcohol I saw he was drinking. Maybe it was the fact he was in a whole new school, and he was feeling a little… scared? Before I could answer, you and Sarah came around the corner. I know, that doesn't sound significant. But it is. Because. You. Had. Your. Arm. Around. Her. Shoulders. I could hear her laughs, I could see your smile. And everything came to a stop, everything was faded out and all I could see was you and her and I was alone. When you walked pass, you didn't even glance at me.

"Laura?" Jake was staring at me, dark brown piercing through my thoughts. His eyes follow to where mine are. On you and Slimy Skanky Slutty Sarah.

"Alright!" I blurt out.

"Are you o-" he starts, but is interrupted by the bell, signaling us to get to class. I glance at his timetable, still in his hand. Great. He's in our maths class. When we get to room 315, you're there too, without Sarah the Sleaze. I promptly decide to ignore you, I mean you ignored me right? And I know it's childish and everything, but you really hurt me. I don't know why, even. I mean, you hug Jen and Daine, when she got over her 'boy germs' phase, but I don't know. There's something about that slug Sarah that annoys me. Speaking of Daine, she had just arrived, all flustered from running to school. She gave me a look when she saw Jake tagging behind which clearly said "Huh?" I smiled and introduced them.

"I'm showing Jake around," I said, loudly enough that you could hear. I did, I saw you turn around a bit, and the expression on your face was… well, let's just say not very pretty. Before Daine or you could say anything more, Mrs Preston came bumbling around the corner, mumbling something to herself about the quadratic formula. We got to our seats, which aren't assigned, and Jake got up to talk to Mrs Preston. When that was all cleared up, she made an announcement.

"Class, we have a new student. Please say hello to Jake Landon. He's moved here from… where was it?"

"Newcastle," Jake answered, surveying the class. But the class was surveying him. Well, the girls, anyway. They were taking in his height, he's quite tall, with his white school shirt filling out quite nicely. Dark pools of chocolate for eyes, with beautiful long lashes. I could hear the girls all sigh in unison.

"Well, I hope you'll make him feel comfortable," Mrs Preston said, giving him a small nod to dismiss him to his seat. He takes the seat I saved for him next to me. You usually sit there, but you sit with Daine today. And so the class rolls on, we're doing quadratic formulas. And the first period with Jake ends.

Recess comes around and I bring Jake to the Table, we've just had a bludgy ag lesson. Jen licks her lips when she sees him, and winks. He gives her a killer grin and sits down next to her. Nate plops down on the seat next to me. Daine, you and Tim have yet to show up.

"How was your first three periods, Princess?" Nate asks me, using a nickname I really hate.

"Don't call me that Pineapplehead, and my day so far has been alright," I reply. Daine comes with Tim in tow. They look very cosy, or as cosy as they can look when Daine has her hands full of books. They both like each other, but they're both too chicken.

"What's this for?" I ask about the pile of books she plonks down on the table.

"Study," she says. "Laur, do you realize exams are in… oh… just under three weeks?" Well, duh, I knew. But do I plan to do anything about it? Nuh uh!

"You," I tell her. "Are freak." Tim and Nate start laughing and it feels normal again. Except Jake is trying to chat up one of my friends and you're not around. But I feel that it's all going to be OK. Boy was I wrong. I still had the rest of the day to go!


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