* UPSIDE down , (open)

[ARIEL RAYNE VALENCIA]

*ARIELRAYNEVALENCIA,

convinced me to please you, made me think
THAT I NEED THIS TOO
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

like Ariel honestly cared what her Biology teacher was talking about. She was too busy doodling in her notebook. The class was supposedly taking notes for their big test coming up in a week, and Ariel knew she should be paying at least a gram of attention. But nah, she'd just copy off of her lab partners notes and cram last second like always. And then that solid B minus will stay in its place on her next report card, and her daddy will tell her how perfect she was. Like usual. Ariel sighed and leaned her face on her hand. Boring... When's lunch? she thought, tapping her yellow mechanical pencil against her notebook. Looking up to check to see if the teacher was paying any attention, she pulled her slider cell phone out of her pocket and quickly checked the time. Thirty minutes?! What?! she panicked, shoving the phone back in her jeans pocket.

in an attempt to escape Mr. Blackwood's boring lecture, she struck her hand up. The sudden flash of movement caught the man's eye and he frowned to see that it was Ariel. Ariel grinned, passive against his annoyance. "Mr. Blackwood, I'd hate to interrupt your remarkable lesson, but my tummy is feeling funny. Do you mind if I excuse myself to the infirmary?" Always miss goodie-two-shoes. Mr. Blackwood snorted as Ariel's piers giggled at Ariel. They all wanted out of the class too, but Ariel is the only one who can annoy the man in charge enough to allow her to leave. The old man scratched his head and knit his eyebrows together. "A stomach problem, hm. Yes Miss Valencia. You can go to the clinic."

victorious in convincing Mr. Blackwood to let her free, she grabbed her bag and books, and hurried out the door. Someone yelled 'faker' behind her, but she just laughed it off. True. She lied and faked a stomach ache. But that wasn't her fault! It was Mr. Blackwood's fault for being so boring that she had to actually lie in order to leave early. Ariel yanked out her phone and looked at the time. She burned five minutes. "Twenty-five to go until lunch..." she said to no one in particular, the hallway being practically empty. She decided to send a text to her mother, who was probably already at work. But at least Ariel would have something to do while she wondered the halls.

entertaining herself with her phone, she was walking slowly. She didn't have to look up, for she was exceptional with balance. She was a dancer, after all. And she was getting good at skateboarding, even though it took more than balance. But as Ariel's eyes were focused on her phone and her feet were focused on walking in one direction, she didn't seem to see that as she turned into a new hall, she collided with another person. "Whaaaa!!!" Ariel yelped, as she fell backwards, her phone flying behind her. So much for balance, huh?

[COOPER LOGAN HARRISON]

COOPER LOGAN HARRISON
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Cooper yawned and stretched, sitting up in his comfortable, plush bed. His white sheets were tangled around him in a warm cocoon and he felt blissfully happy, for about two seconds.With a glance over at his bedside clock, a sudden jolt ran through the boy as he jumped out of bed. "Ah crap!" He hissed, throwing on the nearest clothes and running his hand through his unruly hair. School had started already and he was incredibly late! Third class was just about to start. Maybe he could make it in time...

Hurrying as fast as he could, Cooper got his school stuff ready, although his mind had wandered to the possibility of just staying home. Nah, he couldn't do that. Plus, he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep now anyway. The boy took a glance in a mirror and ruffled up his hair. Good enough. He hated sleeping in past his alarm, it made him all confused. But oh well, you can't go back in time. At least not yet.

Cooper grabbed his car keys from the wooden bowl by the door and went outside, only to shiver and stick his hand back inside. He had forgotten a jacket. His hand came in contact with a hoody, which was good enough. He pulled it on and bounded down the front steps and into his car. Going to school only took a few minutes, but by the time he was there, class was already half over and lunch was thirty minutes away. He should have just stayed home. Oh well, he could still catch the last thirty minutes of class. He had... English. A frown appeared on the boys face. English was his favourite class and he had missed most of it. Shoot.

As fast as he could walk, Cooper grabbed his English books and headed toward the classroom. At least his teacher wasn't a fag and wouldn't mark him absent. But as he rounded the corner, he slammed into something, a person. Bewildered, he drooped his books and reached out to catch the girl. He caught her and put her back on her feet. Thank god for quick reflexes.l. "Oh, hey Miss Mermaid! Sorry about that..." Cooper said, laughing softly and picking up his books after having let go of Ariel. He looked over to where he heard a crash and saw the girl's phone laying on the ground. He moved a few feet and picked it up for her. "You dropped your device..."

[ARIEL RAYNE VALENCIA]

*ARIELRAYNEVALENCIA,

convinced me to please you, made me think
THAT I NEED THIS TOO
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

lightning seemed to flash in her skull, causing her eyes to shut immediately. She braced herself to hit the ground, in total and complete shock. She prayed there would be no blood and maybe just a small purple bruise... But no blood! Oh, no she hated blood, the thought of it made her grow pale and feel sick to her stomach. But as her body went into shock, thinking she was to fall by now, she had opened her eyes. Someone caught her? She glanced up as she was being pulled back to her feet. The figure seemed to say, Hey miss mermaid, a nickname she was given years ago and a name that she still answers too. "H-Hey..." she replied, a little shaken up.

at least there wasn't blood. Or a bruise, or any contact at all with the cold floor that was back underneath the soles of her black Converse high-tops. Ariel inhaled quickly, and exhaled deeply. "Sorry... I wasn't paying attention and... I'm such a spazz, I know." She looked up at her savior. For a minute, she felt like she was staring at a complete stranger, which wouldn't be so much of a shocker. She was a freshman, new to the whole school, but getting used to it every day. So Ariel stood there, studying the boy's face until her jumbled-up thoughts could process the information she requested moments before. But no names came to mind.

unusual. He was redheaded, so he stuck out easily enough. She's seen him before...spoke with him before. She knows his face and she knows he's older than her. He's around town often, but Ariel is always home. "I'm so sorry, again," she repeated, sounding more like a broken record every time she opened her mouth. She stuck out her hand, her French manicure catching her eyes. "I'm Ariel Valencia... Oh, wait. You already knew that... Or you wouldn't have called me 'Miss Mermaid' unless you knew people called me that..." she continued to babble on, not knowing what she was doing anymore.

guy's got pretty eyes, she thought to herself. She caught herself looking at the eyes the entire time she was talking on and on, probably annoying him even further. "I was just walking and texting and no really seeing where I was going. I probably shouldn't have done that, you know, walking and texting. It's kind of texting and driving, too, except that's probably worse. I probably wouldn't even be able to chance it. You probably could though--you caught me quickly enough so I wouldn't hit the ground. That must mean you can turn the steering wheel just in time where you wouldn't crash into another dude..." Blahblahblah. Ariel couldn't help but to keep talking on and on.

hopefully he knew how weird she was beforehand. The entire time she was babbling on, she didn't seem to notice how her phone was missing. How her phone was yards away, on the floor, alone. The fall had made the backing and the battery fall out, too, and were feet away from the phone. But Ariel didn't panic. She didn't even turn around. She forgotten all about that, because she was too busy acting like a complete idiot in front of a guy with pretty eyes.

[COOPER LOGAN HARRISON]

COOPER LOGAN HARRISON
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Cooper laughed softly at Ariel's small stutter as she said hello to him and then shrugged as she said sorry. "Hey, no worries, happens all the time." The male responded light-heartedly. He knew that other people would have let her fall, blown up, yelled at her to watch where she was going, and marched off. But, that wasn't Cooper's style, obviously.

After she said sorry again, Cooper replied with "I think I'll live" and a laugh. The boy had to bite on his tongue so he wouldn't start babbling away. He'd let Ariel have her turn. The two were alike with that little thing: they both could talk nonstop if you let them. When she paused, however, Cooper snuck in a few words. "Yeah, Ariel, I know you. Mind you, I pretty much know everybody in this tiny school. But whatever. I'm Cooper Harrison." He told her, in case she forgot. He hated when you forgot a persons name, so he always reminded people if they were still new to him.

Cooper watched Ariel with an amused grin on his face, his eyes sparkling with laughter as he realized how alike they were. He wasn't really listening to her. He heard something about him being able to drive and text at the same time, and laughed at that, but then his eyes swooped across Ariel's body. She was cute. And her blonde hair was very attractive. He noticed how she was looking into his eyes as she talked, and his eyes met hers and he steadily held her gaze.

After she finished talking, Cooper felt he aught to say something. "Well, thanks, but I don't know how good my reflexes really are, especially when driving. It all depends on the road conditions I guess. Plus, I just got a new car. It's steering wheel is on the right-hand side, just like cars are in England, so that's different. It's a bit of a challenge to get used to, but it's super sweet. Cooper realized he was babbling away too, and then shut his trap. Hopefully Ariel didn't think he was being annoying.

"You should come for a ride with me sometime." Cooper said, unable to keep his mouth shut. Sure, he liked to show off his car. After all, it was new and unique to these parts of town. Well, it was unique to any part of town.

[ARIEL RAYNE VALENCIA]

*ARIELRAYNEVALENCIA,

convinced me to please you, made me think
THAT I NEED THIS TOO
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

listening to Cooper talked made Ariel ecstatic. She loved a good conversation, and this guy looked like he would be able to carry one farther than she expected. And from what she's seen from this school so far this year, is that no one really cares what a freshman girl had to say. Especially one, like herself, who couldn't shut up. "Cooper, huh? Yeah, small school, but I'm still getting stuck sometimes. So sorry for forgetting, Cooper!" she giggled, enjoying the name. It suited him well, with the uncommon orange-red hair and big smile. It got Ariel even more animated.

on the other hand, Ariel was also feeling like she was missing something. The feeling was nagging her, almost enough to pull her away from what Cooper was saying. But she was fascinated at the same time, listening to him talk about his car. "Oh, really? Cool! But isn't that a bit dangerous when you're turning and when you're at toll booths?" She asked, while patting her jean skirt's pockets. No...nothing there. But what was she looking for?

vibration sounds echoed behind Ariel, making her jump. "Oh!" she said, remembering how her phone flew from her hand when she bumped into Cooper. She quickly hurried off toward her phone, and examined the damage. It's battery was on the floor, and it's backing, too. But the phone still vibrated, meaning that it was fine. Picking up the backing and battery, she stuck the battery back in and closed the backing. She tried turning on her phone. "Liveee!!!!" she joked, as if bringing something dead, back alive.

even though the phone was fine, it had a little crack on the backing. No worries, she thought, shoving it back into her pocket. She zoned back into what Cooper was saying, a whole new smile painted on her face. "A ride?" she echoed. "I should come for a ride with you sometime? That would be so fun! No, better than fun. It'd be incredible!!" Ariel was acting like he meant now, even though she got the idea it meant in the future. But hey! A girl could dream.

[COOPER LOGAN HARRISON]

COOPER LOGAN HARRISON
* * * * * * * * * * * *

Cooper loved how the girl got so hyped up about pretty much nothing, like his name. He laughed a little, then shrugged about her question about his car. "It's not really dangerous. You just have to make sure you're careful, and know what you're doing. As for toll booths. It's just annoying having to reach across the left seat." The boy laughed, his smile widening.

The boy's ears heard a sound behind the girl and his eyes followed hers to where her cellphone was laying open on the ground, the battery hanging out, only attached by the cords. It was a sad sight, but at least Ariel was able to put it back together with her soft-looking hands. He laughed along with her as she joked. "Nice, girlie." He commented.

The girl's enthusiasm about taking a ride with him in his car made him grin largely. It also made him think that she had a crush on him. But maybe that was just the way she was with everybody. Not that he'd mind if she had a crush on him. She was awfully cute and he got along with her pretty well...

"Yeah, it'd be awesome. We can go wherever you want to go." Cooper told her, his eyes lighting up in excitement. He hadn't done anything fun with anyone random in a long time, so this was sure to be fun.

[ARIEL RAYNE VALENCIA]

*ARIELRAYNEVALENCIA,

convinced me to please you, made me think
THAT I NEED THIS TOO
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am

he was definitely more fun than she thought earlier. Ariel laughed along with him, and stared directly into his eyes. Even though the orangey hair was shouting for attention, Ariel couldn't help but to stare at his eyes. They were brown and warm, with a friendly and yet clever look to them. Ariel zoned back into reality, pushing back her blond hair. Oops. I probably look pretty stupid right now, she thought as she soaked in all his words. She looked back up at him. Yup. Definitely more fun than some stranger crashing into her in the hall.

ariel then suddenly jumped when she heard a loud sound roar through the intercom. When other students spilled out from classes and to lunch, Ariel relaxed a little. "Oh, the bell rang--heh. I'm jumpy," she said, a bit embarrassed of herself. But the bell had given her an idea at that same exact moment. One that she hoped would work.

paranoid, she yanked Cooper's wrist. Not in a way to alarm him, but in a way to capture his attention. "How about lunch? I mean, we're allowed to leave the grounds for lunch, right? Why don't we go for a ride and grab a bite or something?" Haha. It sounded so much like Ariel was asking him out on a date or something. But Ariel knew that she wouldn't even be allowed to word it like that. Her daddy would get so mad.

pretty please? she wanted to say, but bit her lip in order to avoid saying it. She had let go of his wrist as students raced passed them, shouting, yelling, screaming and laughing. But all of them were walking and running, either going to an extra class or racing off to have lunch with friends. It made her wonder if he wanted to go join them all. So, with a quick dash of sympathy, she added, "But, if you don't want to go right now, it's okay. I just mean--it looks like a great time to go and stuff but..." she drifted off.

yes. Say yes, please! Ariel thought. She was getting way in over her head. She patted the back of her hair, and smoothed her skirt to calm herself down. He's probably thinking, stupid nosy freshman girl. I'm busy. Leave me alone! Ariel bit her lip harder than before. "Hm?"

[COOPER LOGAN HARRISON]

COOPER LOGAN HARRISON
* * * * * * * * * * * *

The way Ariel was staring at him was starting to get a little odd, but of course he couldn't blame her. He was freakin' amazing. Hah, yeah right. That was just wishful thinking. But anyway, it didn't matter how much Ariel stared at him, he enjoyed the freshman's company.

Cooper grinned and laughed as Ariel jumped at the sound of the bell. The sudden rush of teenagers was almost overwhelming. "Aww, so cute." Cooper commented, still grinning. He was about to reach up and pinch her cheek and shake it like old ladies always did to young kids, although unlike the old ladies, he knew how painful it actually was. Maybe that was why the old ladies always did it, to get their revenge? Who knew. Anyway, his pinching plan was ruined when Ariel suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Cooper didn't really even have to contemplate what she said. He really wanted to get out of the school, although he had just gotten here, and this was the perfect excuse. "Lunch sounds awesome!" He exclaimed, taking hold of Ariel's hand again and starting weaving his way through the throng of teenagers toward the direction he had come and to the door to the parking lot where his car was awaiting them.

"I'm so hungry I could probably eat Mr. Withers." Cooper laughed at his joke, his smile huge on his face and his white teeth sparkling in the florescent lighting. Mr. Withers was one of the teachers at the school who just so happened to look like a beached whale. Bald head, humongous stomache, and pretty much waddled wherever he went because he was so fat. If that didn't scream whale, Cooper didn't know what did.