"Blake, smaller bites!" a middle-aged Japanese woman with short, black hair laments.

"Aw, Mom!" the mentioned boy complained. He had short, cropped black hair that framed a small face with fairly large brown eyes. He sighed heavily.

"You're such a pig."

He glared at his older sister who just made that comment. She was 16, about 5'4" in height. She had red-orange hair that went midway down her back and framed her face with long bangs covering her green eyes. Tara slowly turned her head towards her younger brother, a tired expression on her face. "Yes. P-I-G. The other g and y are not needed."

"Hey!" he yelled.

"No shouting at the table!"

"She started it!" the 14-year-old yelled.

"Do as your mother says," a relatively low, but not deep voice announced.

"But. Dad…"

"Blake…" The dirty blonde-haired man simply glared from behind his newspaper, causing his son to shrink back.

"Okay. Sorry, Mom."

Nakao only nodded and continued eating. The Kalman family then finished breakfast in a comfortable silence.

PF

"Ow…"

"I told you to stop," Tara said, standing over him as he groveled in pain. "Seriously? Why do I even have you as a brother?"

Blake only glared in response and slowly rolled over. Tara shook her head and continued on to the school.

William McKinley High, as it was famously called, was known for its high graduation rates and of course, it was one of the best schools in her area.

But the crowd that attended. That was a different story.

It was a total blend of races, cultures, fads, clichés and anything else that made it the melting pot it now is. So, most are surprised to hear of its success.

A large 3-story building that was cream colored with occasional blue and white bricks inserted in the construction. It formed what looked like an incomplete u.

And Tara was fortunate enough to attend it.

That doesn't mean she liked going, anyway.

Entering the building, she wasn't surprised to see her best friend banging on a locker, demanding for it to open.

"Hi, Sarah."

The spectacled blonde turned around. She was 5'6", had an athletic build and was not the type of person that you'd expect to be a tomboy, despite her intelligence. "Hey, Tara."

"You need your Chemistry book again?"

"French actually," Sarah responded, nodding.

"Since when did you need that?"

"Since I needed to use bad words in another language so I won't get caught," she said with a toothy smile. "No, in reality, I just like it."

"And?" Tara crossed her arms.

"And I love to confuse people, such as you. Anyway, I really need it for a test today. Ms. Monreau is really particular about us having our books, so she checks them every time we have one."

Tara nodded. A suddenly tingling sensation shot up her waist as two arms wrapped around her, causing her to squeal.

"Hey! Hey!" A warm voice said. "Calm down. It's just me."

Tara breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at her boyfriend, Erin. He was really, really cute, which stirred jealousy from the other girls. Golden blonde bangs partly covered his left eye and he stood at about 5'9", perfect for standing over her. He flashed a bright smile and her lips met his for a quick second. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Your opinion isn't really needed," he replied, slowly rocking Tara back and forth.

"I didn't even say anything," Sarah said, curtly. Erin only sighed.

"Moving on, Erin, I told you to stop sneaking up on me like that," moaned Tara.

"And why would I do that?"

"I'm sure you remember what happened at the mall," Sarah remarked, smirking.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, looking up.

"If I remember correctly," a medium-pitched voice replied. "We were coming out of F.Y.E. and you hugged Tara out of nowhere only to get kicked between the legs."

Sarah snickered as Erin's face scrunched up in pain. "Oh, that."

"That was mean, Tuesday," Tara said. "How would you feel if I did that to you?"

The lanky, cyan-haired teen only leaned on the lockers, pretending that he was pondering the response. His whole appearance expressed being laidback, from the shoulder-length hair that framed his face to his loose, baggy clothes that barely clung to his frame. "Well, it didn't happen. So, I don't know how it feels!"

Erin could only glare as Tuesday laughed heartily. "Just ignore him, Erin," his girlfriend said.

"I wish I could," he murmured. Sarah only burst out laughing.

"Hola, mi amigos! Como estas?" a voice rang out.

"Eh, bien?" Tuesday asked.

"Si! Si!" Maria agreed, nodding. She was tanned-skinned with dark brown hair that lay across her shoulders and had narrow brown eyes. Her slender frame was a contrast to the shorter girl behind her, Kira. She had long dark red hair and an almost voluptuous body type, despite the fact that she didn't really seem to notice it. Her face, however, made her look younger than she seemed, mainly due to its slight roundness, her large brown eyes and small nose. She smiled slightly as she came from behind her best friend. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, what's up?" Tara asked, only to get a shrug from Kira and a hearty "Muy bien!" from Maria. The latter just happened to turn her head only to notice a Japanese teen, with a long raven-haired ponytail, close his locker.

"Hi, Dru!" She exclaimed, waving. He only smiled and waved back, heading down the hallway. She swooned. "He's so cute. If only he was a little older."

"I thought you weren't interested in younger guys," Sarah replied sarcastically.

"So what? He's an exception," Maria remarked.

"Exceptions don't count…"

"Oh, sure, like you wouldn't want Dru as your boyfriend," Maria sneered, crossing her arms.

"You're talking to the wrong person about this," Sarah growled.

"Well, you are boy-crazy…"

"Take that back!" They were in each other's faces now.

Tara sweatdropped and turned her attention to the others. "So, heard any good rumors lately?"

"Not that I know of," said Erin.

"Wrong guy," Tuesday yawned, leaning against the lockers.

"Kira?"

Kira nodded. "I heard there are some new students."

This got everyone's attention except for Maria and Sarah's.

"Anything juicy?" Tuesday asked.

"Not yet," Kira said, smirking a bit. "The only thing I know is that it's two guys and one girl…and that the hallway is…suddenly…getting…crowded…"

Knowing of Kira's slight fear of large crowds, Tara, Erin and Tuesday move closer to her.

The hallway's noise suddenly became a series of quiet murmurs as three teens pass through the crowd. In front was a relatively tall girl with hot pink hair that hung just above her shoulders and was partially hidden under a gray newsboy cap. She had brown skin and bright green eyes that were the most noticeable feature on her.

Behind her were two boys. The first seemed remarkably cheery. He had on a backwards baseball cap, underneath it dark crimson hair that partially covered his face and eyes that seemed to match in color, along with a long face matching his slender frame.

Finally, the third seemed a bit stoic. His dark blue hair cropped his face, except for one long, loose bang that seemed to stick out in front. He was taller than the others and had blue eyes. He was the only one not wearing anything on his head.

As they disappeared down the hallway, the students eventually cleared and returned to their usual grind.

"They seem interesting," Tara replied.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Tuesday sighed. "They're probably a bunch of freaks…"

"Don't say that!" Kira exclaimed, surprising everyone.

Tara turned around and crossed her arms, still leaning on Erin. "Yeah, Tues. You haven't even met them yet."

"What about those exchange students…"

"That's not the point," replied Tara flatly.

He rolled his eyes in response. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Tuesday is not here right now," he said in monotone. "Please leave a message after the beep. BEEEEP."

"Tuesday-!"

"You do know that he's never gonna stop right?" Erin asked.

"*sigh* Good point," she moaned. "We'd better get to class."

Maria agrees and leaves with Kira in tow. Erin gives his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and heads to the stairwell. Swooning, Tara turns around…only to see Maria and Sarah still engrossed in their argument. Not even wanting to get involved, she facepalms and walks away.

PF

"Um…"

Feeling someone's presence behind her, Tara turns around, only to see the cyan-haired classmate from earlier.

"Hey," she said.

"Um…do you have gym next period?" he asked.

"Yeah, you need to know where it is?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much."

"No problem," states she, smiling. "Just follow me."

"Thanks."

Tara only nodded and they started on their way. After a few minutes, they found themselves in front of the familiar double doors. He held open the door for her.

"After you."

"Thank you!" she said, smiling widely. "Um…"

"Blaine," he replied rather blankly.

"Cool. I'm Tara."

"…"

"…"

"Uh, you are going to go in, right?" he asked.

"Oh!" She sweatdropped, embarrassed. "Uh...right. Um, sorry…about…that…"

"Hey, it's fine."

Hugging herself out of embarrassment, Tara walked in with Blaine close behind. Watching as he joined his friend, she barely noticed the basketball barreling straight towards her head.

"Look out!"

Tara barely had time to duck…only to notice that nothing hit her.

"Hey, dude, it's the new kid…"

Uncovering her face, she noticed the teenage boy with crimson hair and the backwards cap…swaying back and forth.

"You okay?" she asked, clearly concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright," he replied, a bit out of it.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," he turned around and gave her two thumbs up. "I'm good!" He then fell over. "I'm okay!" emerged a few seconds later.

"Uh…"

He looked up from the floor. "I'm worried more about you than I am me, dude."

"Huh?" She asked, clearly surprised until she realized that he was asking about her. "Oh, I'm fine."

"Ah, good." He slowly got up shakily. After steadying himself, he smiled widely and returned to Blaine and the girl.

"O.O Wow," Tara replied, rubbing her neck.

PF

"Erin, I'm fine," Tara repeated for the third time. "It's him I'm more worried about…"

Her boyfriend's mouth formed a thin line. "…"

"*sigh* He got hit with a basketball. That's the only reason I'm worried. Stop being so jealous."

Erin's face suddenly became blank. "Who said I was jealous?"

"She did," Sarah replied, only to get a glare from Erin. "Anyway, Tara, was he cute?"

"…You're saying this because…"

"Just to irritate the heck out of him."

"Really, Sarah," Tara sighed.

"He is cute from a distance," Maria admitted. "Who knows how cute he is up close…" Kira nodded shyly, not noticing everyone look at her until a few seconds later.

"What?" she asked.

They only exchanged glances and smirks, making her even more confused.

"Yo."

Their attention was diverted to the source of the voice. The pink-haired girl from earlier stared at them, a blank expression on her face.

"Are you Tara?"

"Uh…yeah," Tara said. "That's me…"

"Since you already met Blaine…and somehow indirectly met Matthew," she replied. "I think it's time we met. I'm Tika."

"Nice to meet you," Tara remarked, smiling. "Wait…um…his name is Matthew right?"

Tika nodded.

"Is he going to be okay?" Tara asked. "I mean he did get bashed in the head…"

"Don't worry about it." Tika looked behind her to see Matthew and Blaine laughing. "He bounces back pretty quickly. He is pretty hard-headed sometimes. Anyway, just wanted to say that. Guess I'll introduce myself more properly next time. Later.

"Oh, uh, ok…" Tara mumbled as Tika walked away. "I'll be here…I guess."

"….You met them?" Maria blurted out intentionally.

"Sort of," Tara replied, rubbing her neck. "You weren't here when I was showing Blaine to the gym…"

"You lead him here?" Erin asked, arms crossed.

"Yeah, so?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, our innocent little Tara," Tuesday sarcastically scolded. "When will you learn that strangers are not to be trusted? Especially someone who dyes their hair and…"

"Your hair is light blue," she stated matter-of-factly, causing the others to giggle.

Tuesday groaned. "That's not the point! Anyway…they're...y'know, so why talk to them?"

"Because they were being nice. What's wrong with that?"

"Maybe they were trying to fool you with niceness…" said Erin.

"And maybe you're using that as a cover for your jealousy," Tara replied, smirking.

"I am not jealous!"

"Suuuure you are…"

"…Sometimes I hate that I love you so much," Erin replied, smirking.

"Works every time," Tara happily announced. Tuesday groaned, disgusted. Turning towards Kira, he noticed that she was completely spaced out, staring straight ahead as it seemed.

"Kira?" She made no movement.

"Yo." He waved a hand in front of her face. "Hey, snap out of it!" He snapped his fingers in her ear and after a few seconds, clapped twice.

"KIRA…" he nearly yelled, slamming a book closed.

"Huh?" She immediately snapped out of her daze, staring at Tuesday with widened eyes. Then she blushed and turned away, muttering under her breath.

"Kira, are you okay?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine!" she nearly blurted out. "It's okay. You don't have to worry!"

"Oh, alright," Tuesday replied, deciding to drop the subject. "If you say so…"

Kira inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't about to tell him what she was REALLY doing, which was something she couldn't believe herself. While they were discussing how "weird" this new trio was, she found herself looking at them. But then her eyes landed on Matthew. And after a few seconds, Kira had a realization. Matthew wasn't cute.

He was breathtakingly gorgeous.

And she couldn't stop herself from staring at him, taking in all his features…

Not until Tuesday rudely brought her back to reality. But she couldn't bring herself back to glare at him. Looking away and blushing, she started rubbing her arms in embarrassment. Stealing another glance at Matthew, she fought to keep herself from staring.

And couldn't stop wondering what the strange feeling was that bombarded her whenever she looked at him.

PF

"What's with you?"

Blaine looked down at his girl companion.

"That girl. Tara. I didn't expect her to help me like that."

"Well, I'm not surprised," Tika replied nonchalantly. Blaine only rolled his eyes in response. As they exited the front of the school, the blue-haired boy found himself in the redhead's presence again. Tara smiled.

"Hey, there," she said.

"Oh, hey," he remarked, scratching his neck and feeling strangely nervous.

"Surry about my friends," she stated. "They're sort of stoic when it comes to meeting new people."

"Oh, it's fine." Blaine waved it off. "I'm used to it."

Tara sighed. "That's a relief. I thought you were hiding some resentment…"

Blaine raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Hey, sis! Stop flirting and let's go!"

"Shut up, Blake!" Tara snapped at a black brunette in the distance and turned back to Blaine. "I gotta go. See you guys, tomorrow then?" With that, she left as Tika waved. She then turned her attention to Blaine.

"Dude…"

"What?"

"You're staring like you've never seen another girl before," she sneered.

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?" He griped.

Tika turned to Matthew, smirking. The redhead then smiled widely. Blaine only got more irritated.

"What is it with you guys?" he yelled. "What is it, huh? You're always doing this to me. What are the smirks for? Somebody tell me somethiiiiinnnnngggg…"