I was sporting a wicked bruise on my hip as I dashed down the stairs, my hopes of getting my life together crushed. I really had tried to wake up early, putting multiple alarms each ten minutes apart but I had still overslept. When I woke up, birds chirping and whatnot, it was 8 AM and I had to be seated in class in an hour.

It was the first day of junior year and I did not want unwanted attention. I could feel my heart rate spike with the very thought of walking into a class late and have the attention of everybody else present. Adrenaline spiked, I jumped out of bed, completely tangled in the comforter and felt myself fall, hitting the bed frame in the process.

With a groan, I started to freshen up and was grateful that I had packed everything I needed the night before. We also had an uniform which consisted of a white shirt, a red checkered tie and black formal pants which made my life much easier. Our school, Patrick' High, had a reputation to maintain after all. It was easily one of the most prestigious schools in the area and it opened us up to a vast number of opportunities with the multiple events it conducted.

Having no time to eat breakfast, I grabbed a granola bar and was out the door only after giving a small glare to my mom. She gave a smirk and went back to reading the newspaper. My parents always wanted me to learn how to be independent and while it had its perks, that is, the freedom to do what I wanted ( within limits of course), there were also drawbacks. This entire scenario was one of them.

I had exactly twenty minutes to reach school and since it was only about fifteen minutes away, I had the time to catch my breath and not look like a tomato. First impressions mattered.

My pace reduced to that of a brisk walk and a familiar mop of platinum blonde hair entered the periphery of vision. He was reading a book, headphones around his shoulder as he leaned against the wall of his house.

"We're going to be late if we don't hurry." He said coolly, giving a lazy grin.

"I'm sorry." I said, extremely confused. He matched his pace with mine and we were off to school. I couldn't recollect any conversation where I had asked him to wait for me.

"I clearly remember telling you that I would see you tomorrow."

Ah, so he was referencing to the talk we had yesterday night.

"I thought that you were being polite. I did not expect you to actually wait for me. Also, is that the new sports manga that's been getting all the hype recently? I cant believe you actually got the book! It was sold out within minutes! So how is it? Does it make your blood pump?"

My excited rant was cut off when he ruffled my hair.

"You're rambling, little one. I'll lend you the book once I'm done"

"Little one? Really? Dude, you're about a few inches taller than me. Also, if you call me that once more, I'll knee you."

The man had the actual audacity to laugh at that. I huffed and gave him a glare, which made him laugh harder. Well whatever. I elbowed him and he grunted in pain, effectively cutting his laughter spell short.

We were at the gates of the Patrick's High before we knew it. Adorned with pristine white walls, it stood extremely tall, having about six floors in total. There were so many people, too many to count and I was painfully aware of it. So when Raven grabbed hold of my wrist, maneuvering us through the crowd, I almost cried in relief. It was grounding and I felt a little more in control.

He let go when we were in front of the school's administrative office. The lady behind the desk did not bother looking up from her desk and handed us our schedules within a few minutes. Raven and I had only one class together I noted, apart from lunch break which was advanced math. We both were taking advanced classes and Raven didn't seem too happy about that. Probably Mr. Smith's doing.

So after giving a wave goodbye, the first day of my two years in academic hell began.