Read Ch. 1 before Ch.2 to understand....

-----------

The Howard girl, as sick as she felt, she didn't stop until she reached the office, stepping inside and being directed to her home room teacher, Mr. Johnson.

"Welcome back." Mr. Johnson said. "You arrived back from New York on Friday?" He asked, looking up at her as she nodded. "heres your updated ID card." Mr. Han handed her the card. "you're in class 2-5."

"Thank you." Allyn smiled, taking her card and then jumping out of her skin as she heard the shouts of the vice-principle. 

"I heard one of our top students is back!" He boomed, moving towards Allyn. "I hope your family is well."

"Sir I should get going. My family is fine, thank you for asking." Allyn nodded, looking back to Mr. Johnson, who nodded and quickly got her out of the office before the vice-principal began asking more questions.

She followed Mr. Johnson to her classroom, and as they walked down the corridor another student joined them. And of course, looking as annoyed as ever, it was James.

"Hello." Mr. Johnson greeted as he walked into the classroom, James and Allyn following him and ignoring each other - despite Allyn feeling as she might throw up. The class feel silent after greeting him, staring at the two teens.

"Alright, James is back after his short break, and Allyn after her longer one." Mr. Johnson said, and Allyn dared to glance over to Noah, who looked extremely uncomfortable. "Good to see them, right."

The class chorused back with their positive replies. "Let's give them a round of applause." Mr. Johnson continued, and the two teens determined to not make any sort of eye contact.

"James, sit next to Noah. Allyn, there's a seat at the back." Mr. Johnson said, and all of the sudden, James and Allyn glanced at each other, before racing to get to the back seat, the Howard girl successfully sliding into it.

"Oops." she said, and a muscle in James's jaw jumped in annoyance, before he turned around, standing by another girl's desk, kicking it to get her attention.

"You go." He said, jerking his head slightly in the direction of James. "This was originally my spot."

"Oh, Lia has weak eyesight." Mr. Johnson quickly spoke. "So Shes sitting there so she can see better." He looked around the class, eyes landing on the boy next to Allyn.

"Aaron, our handsome Aaron, can you switch spots?" He asked, James staring back at the boy, gaze flickering to Allyn and then Mr. Johnson.

'Me?" Aaron asked pointing to himself, "Really? yes." He said, getting up unto his feet, making a song and dance out of his movement over to seat besides Noah.

James sat in the seat besides Allyn, not even looking at her as he spoke, "Don't expect me to treat you like nothing happened, or even talk to you." He spoke

"So you can string more than fiver words." Allyn muttered under her breath, still feeling sick but already annoyed at how he was acting - it would make the school year hard. "I don't expect anything from you, I haven't for a while." She replied

"Good." James said, dumping his bag on the floor and leaning on the desk, his intent of not doing any work clear.

However, Allyn was hoping to have a good expression. And so she paid attention. Which meant she also saw the girl - Lia - turn around and apologize to James, him ignoring her, but then staring at her confused, confused.

He mumbled something to himself, before slumping back down.

Allyn listened to Mr. Johnson speak, every so often glancing over at Noah, who was staring straight ahead of him, almost unblinkingly.

Afterwards, Allyn was about to get out a book, when rather excited shout came from the middle of the seats. "Allyn!" It was Evelyn, who beckoned her over and greeted her with a hug. "You were gone for so long, we thought you weren't coming back." She looked up at Aaron, who nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with his girlfriend.

"I wasn't supposed to be coming back for a while, I was staying with my grandparents in New York. But my parents had other plans. I arrived back on Friday." Allyn explained, leaning against the empty seat beside the girl who James had stared at, she glanced down at her, then back at Evelyn, hoping for an introduction.

"This is Lia Cambridge!" Evelyn said, her energy still there as Lia and Allyn Acknowledged each other. "She transferred here a week ago or so ago."

"Nice to meet you." Allyn said, smiling down at her. "Did i see Sophia go with Noah?" she asked, and Lia looked interested.

"Do you know Noah?" she asked, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense, Aaron and Evelyn glancing at each other, then Allyn. 

"We used to be close. Not anymore though. But i see he hasn't changed.... either of them." Allyn glanced over at James, only adding to the story that Lia was piecing in her mind.

But then, the doors at the back of the classroom slammed open, and a group of guys walked in, standing over James. "James Ainsworth." the one at the front said - Allyn remembering his name to be Cole. 

"If you've returned, you should've shown your face and said hi." He said, and Allyn watched, not looking very impressed as James slammed his fist down on the desk, standing up.

"He's so dramatic." Allyn had already begun to put on an act. She didn't want either James or Noah - or even any of the member of her class, to know just how hurt and upset she was still. So, she would take on the attitude they expected her to have.

As James walked out of the classroom, she returned to her seat without another word, leaving Evelyn, Lia and Aaron wondering more about why they had all fallen out, and why Allyn was in such a bad mood with the boy who returned on the same day as her.

~~~~~~~~~

"James is a bit scary." Despite her lack of excitement and enthusiasm earlier in the day, Evelyn had invited Allyn to eat lunch with her, Aaron, Sophia and Lia - who Allyn hadn't known before and was rather interested in getting to know.

"Hès got that bad boy style." Evelyn nodded, agreeing with Lia. " But Allyn knows more about him than i would, they used to be friends."

"Used to be." Allyn emphasized, her expression falling into a sadder state than before. "Evelyn is right."

"there's a terrible rumor that he beat a student until he was nearly half-alive, so that's why he took a break from school." The girl wearing the orange sweater said, lowering her voice.

Across from her, Allyn had stopped eating, and Evelyn glanced across, seeing her expression. "I'm guessing that one isn't true?"

"Who knows." Allyn shrugged, taking another bite. "Either way, James has the bad boy style, like you said."

Lia looked horrified from the mention of the romour, and nobody blamed her. She looked like she was debating something though, and as Allyn chewed, she watched her, for just a moment, wondering what was bothering her.

"What are you saying?" Sophia asked, looking up. "They say he took a break because of things going on at home."

Evelyn glanced over at Allyn, as if for confirmation. "It's been a while since we were friends. I've been away for nearly eleven months. I have no idea."

"You didn't keep any correspondence?" Sophia asked. "At all? I would have thought even if Noah and James didn't, you two would have."

"I have nothing to say to him." Allyn shrugged, and they stopped speaking for a while as they ate their food. Lia rushed off as they finished, and as Allyn walked with Evelyn and Aaron, feeling a little more normal now that she was back with her friends from before.

After lunch ended, they were back in class, listening to Mr. Johnson talk to them about the poets that they talked about last lesson. "It's a group project, so discuss it and make a presentation."

James and Allyn had both been placed in a group along with Evelyn, Sophia and two other people Allyn didn't know. Seeing as neither of them had done the work, having not been there, they weren't exactly sure what to do. Except ignore each other's existence, of course.

"Hey, James." Sophia said, the boy stopping tapping his pencil and looking over. "Do you know how to do a PPT?"

"Oh, a fitting?" of course." James nodded, not sounding very impressed with the situation. "I used to be a fitting model; you know."

Ally sighed, shaking her head. "ill do the PPT." She shrugged James looking over at her. "Not like i don't have a lot of free time." She grumbled.

He muttered something under his breath, and across the table Sophia and Lia glanced at each other - it was going to be an absolute nightmare to work with the two of them if they continued like this.

The lesson during the rest of the day seemed to drag on, but finally it was time to go home. But Allyn wasn't heading home, instead she was going to just walk around for a bit first, try to avoid going back to the large empty house - or the large house which happened to have her parents in, neither of which were nice options.

Deciding to just walk around the shops, seeing if there was anything to buy, Allyn began to walk around, getting used to feel of the city she hadn't been in for so long.

the school day had started out awful. The breakfast with her dad. Then she had gotten to school. Noah wouldn't even look at her ( or James for the matter), and James would throw sarcastic remarks her way whenever he got the chance, rolling his eyes or sighing.

She understood his frustration. the incident could have been prevented, but getting angry at those who didn't pay any part in it was unnecessary. She hoped she didn't have a part in it at least. 

A sigh escaped her lips as the thought came over her. That was the first that had haunted her the most. What if she did have a part in it, what if it was practically her fault. 

It has taken her so long to completely rid her mind of that thought, but in the third day of her being back in Seattle and it was back. She shouldn't be back in the city yet, shouldn't be so near where it all happened.

Figuring that being able to sit in her room with her thoughts and endure the shouting her father certainly had in store for her seemed more appealing than that, and Allyn turned around, about to turn around when she was dragged down a side street. 

"Let me go!" She exclaimed, trying to to her arm away, but it fell limply by her side as she did so, and rubbing the area around wrist, where she had been held so tightly, she looked up.

OfCourse, it was none other than James. And he didn't look happy.