Preface

Lucy

"Ms. Combs, I realize the school year is coming to an end, but that does not give you an excuse to not pay attention," Mr. Peters said, snapping me out of my daze and bringing me back down to earth.

"Sorry," I replied quietly, wishing I could sink into my sweatshirt. I felt my face turn a deep red.

He motioned for me to take out my earbud and I reluctantly did so. I was listening to the latest release from my newest favorite band, The Gatekeepers.

The Gatekeepers were an up and coming local band. So close to home that two of the members were sitting in my Algebra II class with me right at that moment. Everyone knew the five of them were best friends, but hardly anyone knew or really seemed to care about their music.

Owen Bishop, the band's drummer sat behind me and sent me a warm smile that made me feel a little better about the public humiliation Mr. Peters had just subjected me to. He gave me a thumbs up and pointed to my notebook which was open, revealing my interpretation of the band's logo. I smiled shyly and turned away. His shaggy black hair, friendly blue eyes, and adorable laugh were the epitome of cute.

Next to him sat Leo Roberts, the band's singer. His voice is absolutely heavenly and so are his arm muscles, but it is not like I would ever get the guts to tell him that. Thank god for tank tops. Unlike the rest of the group, he had very short hair--almost a buzz cut. His hazel eyes were enough to make any girl weak in the knees.

Speaking of knees, Shane Hyde knew all about getting a girl to get on hers. He was well known around campus for being totally gorgeous and being able to convince just about any girl he wants to go to bed with him. His warm brown eyes felt inviting and safe, but from what I had heard, Shane Hyde (aka The Monster), lived up to his name. He had never spoken a single word to me, and little did he know. I jammed out to his guitar solos while doing last night's homework.

Their bass player was Jay Abrams. He was a year below us, and that seemed to be just the ammunition the other guys needed to make fun of him, in a boys-will-be-boys friendly way of course. His age along with his short stature made him the perfect target for ridicule. His bleached blond hair was always styled into a Mohawk that looked sharp enough to inflict pain if touched. Maybe he spiked up his hair to make up for his lack of height.

Finally, there was the other guitarist, Victor Evans. He was not exactly the most social of the group, but he was definitely the cutest. His sweet smile and lip ring combined with his piercing green eyes made my heart melt every time we passed each other in the hallways. We had never spoken a single word to each other. I doubted he even knew my name. But, someday he would.

The bell rang to dismiss my final class of the year. I thanked God and cursed Mr. Peters all in the same breath. I had quickly made my way to the door. I was just steps away to ending my high school career for good.

"Hey, wait up!" Owen said, quickly shoving things into his black book bag and swinging it over his back. He flipped his black hair out of his eyes.

I looked around, searching for someone else. Was he talking to me?

"Lucy, right?" He asked, reaching into his pocket.

"Uh, yeah, that's me. You're Owen Bishop, right?" I had asked as if I had not known.

He nodded, choosing to ignore my obvious lie and handed me a folded up piece of paper.

"It's a flier for our show at the Pizza Palace tonight. I figured you'd be interested in attending," he said with a smile.

I returned his smile shyly and nodded.

"Thanks, I'll be there," I said.

He patted my shoulder and replied, "No, thank you. Hometown support is extremely important to a growing band."

I nodded in agreement and said, "Yeah, you guys really are something. I can tell you'll go far."

He smiled and waved while approaching Leo. Then, walked out of the classroom.

I practically skipped to my car. High school was completely over for me. No more bitchy girls, no more douchey boys, and no more teachers preying on me for being the quiet one. It was all over. Now all that was left was the real world.

"Lucy!" Shouted my best friend, Mia Lazzari, from across the parking lot. I smiled and waved to her happily.

"High school is over. All we have to do is graduate tonight and we're done. Ah!" She exclaimed.

I nodded and walked towards her, being just as giddy as she was.

"Guess what? The tickets for our flight to Cali came in the mail today. We're really going. I can't believe it! Thanks for coming with me, it'd be terrifying to be doing this alone," She admitted.

I draped my arm around her shoulder and replied, "I know you'd follow any crazy dream I had." Then, I assured her. "That's what best friends do."

She sent me a warm smile and stepped into her car.

"I gotta go get ready. See you tonight. Class of 2020!" she shouted happily as she turned the key, starting the car.

I laughed and waved goodbye to her, walking towards my own car.

The clock on my dash said three o' clock. Three hours until graduation started, and then it was all over.

But, it had only just begun.