Normally, Ash would wake up with an abnormal amount of energy, so much that he felt like he was capable of beating Usain Bolt in 200m sprint, and then go on to run in a marathon and place in the top 5. But not this time. On this particular day, Ash was sitting on a stool next to a table, a cup of coffee in hand. Although he knew that it wasn't healthy by any means, he decided he needed to find some way to get rid of his drowsiness. It wasn't even drowsiness he felt; it was some sort of fatigue that slightly overcame him, despite the fact that he had over 8 hours of sleep the night prior to.

Ash took another sip before placing the cup back on the counter, making sure to grab a red and white baseball that rest next to it. He wasn't particularly athletic; he played little league as a child, but dropped the sport, losing time and interest in it after school got harder. He got up from his little stool and made his way upstairs, opening the door to his bedroom before checking the clock above his bed. It read 5:45. He had an hour and 45 minutes before the bell rang, signaling the start of their first hour. He went over to his window, the cool breeze hitting against his face as he opened it, and looked over at the window across from his. It was cracked and made of plastic, that being the only reason it was yet to fall apart. There was a small opening at the top right corner of the plastic, a space just large enough for the ball in his hand to fit through if thrown accurately.

Lucky for Ash, he pitched back in his little league days, and had been acing this particular throw for years now. He gripped the ball, tossing it in the air to get an idea of the weight. He then through the ball out his window in a sideways motion, the ball mimicking his motion and curving into the gap in the opposite window. A thud could be heard, telling not Ash that the ball has hit it's target. A dark figure could be seen moving through the window, hunched over. Aimar's face appeared through the plastic window, the moonlight reflecting off his face. He groggily pulled the window up, letting out a yawn as he did so.

"Morning Aimar," Ash called from across. "How'd you sleep?"

"Like a log," He responded, "If the log was being cut apart into multiple pieces and then placed in a fire to burn, that is." He added on, stretching out his arms.

Ash chuckled, "Hurry and get changed, I'll be over in a flash."

"Bring me some coffee." Aimar murmured, struggling to keep his head up. He quickly shook his head, attempting to shake off his weariness, and turned around to go and restart his regular school routine. Ash turned away from the window, closing it and walking over to his bedroom door. He reached for his book bag, placing both straps on their shoulders and descending down the steps. He let out a yawn as he grabbed an apple from the counter. He locked the door and then patted the area around his pocket as he walked next door, making sure his phone was in its proper place. Ash knocked on Aimar's door, a clicking sound following a few seconds after. He twisted the door knob and walked in, calling Aimar's name as he closed the door behind him. Aimar's voice could be heard coming down the hall in an incoherent mumble. He emerged from his room, the rope strap from his book bag in his mouth and his phone in hand.

"Why don't you just put your back bag on your back, like a normal person?" Ash asked, confused at Aimar's actions. Aimar dropped his book bag and caught it with his freehand, sliding it onto his back.

"I had to use my other hand to scratch my back," Aimar responded as Ash tossed the apple towards him. He caught it, raising a brow. "Apple?"

"Alternative to coffee," Ash shrugged, "It works better, plus I didn't have coffee." He lied. Ash liked his coffee very much, and didn't hesitate to go as far as to finish every last bit before having to give some to Aimar.

"Oh, please," Aimar rolled his eyes. "You never run out of coffee; the day that happens is the day McDonald's goes bankrupt."

"I'm being serious! I ran out yesterday and haven't had some since."

Aimar didn't seem to budge, but he let the conversation drop as he headed towards his front door, walking out and locking it after Ash followed. They turned to the left, heading in the direction of the school.

It was still early; the sun had yet to appear but was on the rise, leaving the sky in a beautiful mixture of pink and orange, only a sliver of blue to show what remained of the night sky. Serena paused, looking up and taking in the beauty of the atmosphere around her. The leaves whispered words of serene tranquility as the wind seemed to carry them to her. Birds sprouted from the branches, ascending into the air and past Serena as they seemed to be taking same path she was. Her gaze followed them as soared through the air, and suddenly froze as she saw two figures walking ahead of her. It was still dark, but she could make out the messy, raven black hair of the boy nearest to the sidewalk.

'Is that Ash?' Serena thought to herself. She blushed, remembering how he assisted her the week before. Since then, she couldn't stop thinking of him, and how he was her first friend since she arrived.

"Serena?" Ash called out, snapping her out of her trance. She blinked, embarrassed.

"Oh, hey Ash." She sweat dropped. She could feel her cheeks start to warm.

"This is my friend, Aimar." Ash introduced, gesturing to the boy to his left. He grinned, giving me a small wave. Serena smiled back, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. "Hello, Aimar."

"How's your ankle?" Ash smiled.

"A lot better, actually. Resting wasn't really a problem." Serena nervously laughed, remember how she spent the entire week icing it while watching Orange Is The New Black.

"That's great. I'm guessing you're heading to school? If you are, feel free to join us." He suggested, receiving a smirk from Aimar. Serena gave a slight grin, nodding. The three walked together, with Ash in the middle, Serena to the left, and Aimar at the curb. Aimar elbowed Ash, turning to him and whispering in his ear.

"Is she the girl who you bumped into a while back?" He asked. Ash nodded before letting out a small yawn. He was tired, extremely weary. His shoulders were hunched down and his posture was horrible- if his mother could see, he'd get scolded on the spot. But Serena's presence made it difficult to not keep correct posture. It's not that she was forcing him or anything, Ash started thinking. He simply didn't want to look bad in front of a pretty girl whom he just meant the other day. It's like common curtesy, he told himself.

The school soon came into view, as did the little amount of students standing outside. Serena pulled out her phone, checking the time. It was quarter till 7:00; they still had 45 minutes, more or less. She started fixing her hair and adjusting her straw hat. She was a new student; a sophmore, to be exact. Her first impression was crucial; it would determine whether she would survive or be eaten alive. So her outfit had to be nothing less than impressive.

She suddenly realized that she didn't knew the age of the two boys beside her. "Hey Ash, Aimar- what grade are you guys in?"

"We're both sophomores," they both replied in unison. "I'm 16, and so is Aimar."

"You guys are 16 already?" Serena asked, furrowing her brows. She figured they were in her same grade- they're faces were in that awkward state where it was maturing and gaining more structure, but she didn't expect them to be 16 already.

"Yeah, you're 15?" Aimar continued the conversation. Serena nodded, and sighed. "All of my friends at my old school are older than me." She then realized that what she said was slightly a lie; she only had one friend at he told school, so to use the term "friends" was incorrect.

"You know what they say, age is just a number." Aimar waved, then put his hand to his chin. "Unless the ages are 7 and 18, then it's also illegal." He pondered. This earned him a soft hit to the head from Ash. Serena let out a small giggle.

"Well am I wrong?" Aimar rhetorically asked, rubbing his head. "Besides, you and Serena are only one year apart, you two have nothing to worry about."

Serena blushed, her cheeks filled with warmth. The thought of her and Ash ever being a thing didn't seem possible; they had just recently met. He was some cute teenager who probably had boatloads of friends besides Aimar (who Serena had come to assume was probably more important to Ash than the others). He probably already has a girlfriend, anyways, Serena thought to herself, the thought putting her down. She shook her head, attempting to get rid of the absurd thoughts in her head. She couldn't possibly like this boy after only knowing him for a week, could she? She sighed and brushed off the thought; it's too early, she decided.