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Chapter 2: Kindred Spirits

The first two periods proceeded as usual. At recess, Hailey insisted that Xavier meet the rest of the group. Despite the fact that Xavier had already made friends with Andrew and Josh, the two gangsters of the class, he seemed to have preferred the idea of meeting other students instead of going outside for a smoke. One thing Hailey quickly discovered about Xavier is that he shared many of her interests; music, video games, animals, and so on. One particular thing that caught Hailey's interest was Xavier's passion for poetry and writing. From what Hailey knew, nearly every other student in the school, including her own friends, absolutely loathed the idea of writing stories, essays and whatnot. Finally, someone she could share her hobby with!

As Hailey and Xavier approached the table where the rest of the group sat, Amy immediately gasped when she saw Xavier.

"Oh my gosh! You must be the new kid! So, what's your name? Where're you from? What's your favorite color?" She asked hysterically. Hailey laughed and Xavier just stood there stupefied.

"Amy, don't scare the new guy away!" Jack complained as he munched on a pack of cheese and crackers.

Xavier chuckled and introduced himself.

"Nice to meet ya Xavier. I'm Amy, and this is Jack, Fred…" As Amy continued introducing the group, Hailey went to get herself a snack. She ordered a bottle of grape juice and two muffins. She then came back to the table and opened her juice bottle, when suddenly, a hand hit the bottom of the plastic bottle, making it slip out of Hailey's hands and splattering all over her shirt, staining it purple. Hailey gave a dumbfound expression as she snarled at her attacker.

"What the hell is your problem, Logan?!" She yelled at him as the three jerk-wads laughed and pointed. Hailey's face flushed as dozens of students in the cafeteria laughed and snickered. Unfortunately for the three boys, they had yet to notice the murderous expressions written on Fred, Amy and Xavier's faces, while Jack and Elli glared at them.
Quick as lightning, Amy kicked Logan in the groin as hard as she could, sending him shouting in pain and curling up in the fetal position on the floor. While this was happening, Fred had punched Kyle in the jaw and left the latter's lip bleeding, as well as Xavier, who had Rick pinned to a wall, glaring daggers and threatening to rip out his guts. The rest of the students quickly got up closer to watch the brawl, rooting for Hailey's group. As this happened, Hailey, Jack and Elli soon joined in. They started throwing their food at Logan, who was still on the floor, and at Kyle, who was still recovering from that 'Falcon Punch' he received from Fred. Unfortunately for the group, teachers arrived and the three trouble makers, in addition to Fred, were sent to the principal's office. Since Fred had been the only one use violence, he was sentenced to three days of detention. Not that he really cared.

The rest of the day went by like a breeze. Despite their differences, Xavier became friends with the group very easily. As the day ended, the five students, excluding Xavier, walked up to the main entrance, laughing and giggling at what happened earlier that day.

"Y-you guys s-should have seen t-the looks o-on t-their faces!" Elli said as she giggled.

"No kidding! That was freaking awesome!" Fred replied.

"Just the way Amy reacted when Logan spilled the bottle on me! If looks could kill, man!" Hailey bellowed with laughter.

"You can say that again. NO ONE messes with my buds!" Amy said as she looped her arms around Hailey and Jack's necks and pulled them closer.

"Ack! Chocking! Not breathing!" Jack made a chocking sound and Amy released them, chuckling.

As the school bus approached the entrance, students started forming a line. Hailey examined the entrance, and wondered where Xavier could be.

"W-well, this is o-our ride." Elli said. "S-sure you d-don't w-want to ride w-with us, Hailey? I-I don't s-s-see your d-dad any-w-where." Hailey shrugged.

"No prob. I'll just walk. It's pretty sunny out anyway."

"Alright then. See ya tomorrow!" Fred said as he got on the bus.

Hailey waved goodbye and threw her bag over her shoulder and began walking home. But then, a voice called out her name. Xavier waved and ran to her. The teenage boy had spent his last two periods on the bottom floor of the school. Therefore he became separated from the group. Luckily for him Hailey was walking today, otherwise he would have been lost. He may have moved to town earlier that week, but he still had yet to figure out which road to take to get home.

"Hey. Mind if I walk with you?" He asked as he gave her his trademark smirk.

"Sure." She smiled back and they began their way home. On their way, they talked about their interests, hobbies, and so on.

"So what kind of writing do you do most?" Xavier asked his female friend.

"Oh, mostly short stories and poems. Fantasy, sometimes thrillers or love stories. I always wanted to write a mystery story, but… I suck at solving them, so how the heck am I supposed to write one?" They chuckled.

"You know, the key to writing a mystery story is to make up the mystery within your mind. You need to imagine yourself as both the criminal and the detective. Otherwise you miss little details that can throw the story completely off track." Xavier explained. Hailey stared in astonishment.

"Wow, you should be the next Sherlock Holmes." She chuckled.

"Once you get the hang of it I'm sure you'll be the next Nancy Drew." They both laughed.

A few minutes ticked by and before they knew it, the two students were standing in front of Hailey's house. It had three floors, was painted a bronze color and had stepping stones leading to the garage door, the front porch as well as the back patio. Xavier gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice house." He said.

"Thanks." She then noticed he seemed to have a slightly worried expression on his face.

"You alright?" She asked him. He just nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, just tired, is all." He took a step back. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, Hailey."

"Yep. See ya!" She waved at him and pulled out her house key.

Once inside, she placed her oversized bag on the floor and dragged her feet up to her bedroom. She opened the door and saw two fur balls on her bed; one rust color with white markings, and the other smaller with black and gold markings. The rust colored one poked his head out from under its paws and yawned.

"Hey there Pawly." She smiled at the Australian Shepherd as she scratched behind his ears, making him whimper in approval. The black and gold fur ball meowed and stretched itself on the bed, rolling over on its size as if saying: 'What about me? Don't I get my belly rub?' Hailey chuckled and ruffled the cat's fur.

"Hey Buttercup."

Hailey sat down at her desk and started her computer. Once opened, she continued working on the poem she had been writing yesterday.

A family is forever
As do they say
A group of people so dear to you
In their own special way
Grandmas and grandpas
Uncles and aunts
Cousins and friends
All holding hands

Simply chatting and playing
All around the campfire
That is a moment
That everyone desires
To finally see their smile
On their memorable face
After traveling far and wide
From place to place

After a few hours, Hailey finally finished the poem.

"Few, another one done." She said as she printed it and placed it in her binder, which served as a folder for her poems and stories, a photo album, and a diary. She grabbed a pen and started writing down what happened today.

Well, another day gone. Logan finally got what he deserved. I'm glad we won't EVER be seeing any of his spawns on this Earth. I so owe Amy. Plus, new kid is pretty cool. No, lemme rephrase that, he's AWESOME! He's pretty cute, and funny, not to mention he seems kind of mischievous, hehe. He's probably the only one who shares my interests around here. The others are alright, but every time I mention writing or poems, they seem to black out or fall asleep. Heck, I guess I can't blame them. Everyone has their tastes. Finally, someone I can actually have an intellectual conversation with. I've got a feeling things are going to get pretty interesting with Xavier around…

End of Chapter 2

Description
Chapter 2: Kindred Spirits

The first two periods proceeded as usual. At recess, Hailey insisted that Xavier meet the rest of the group. Despite the fact that Xavier had already made friends with Andrew and Josh, the two gangsters of the class, he seemed to have preferred the idea of meeting other students instead of going outside for a smoke. One thing Hailey quickly discovered about Xavier is that he shared many of her interests; music, video games, animals, and so on. One particular thing that caught Hailey's interest was Xavier's passion for poetry and writing. From what Hailey knew, nearly every other student in the school, including her own friends, absolutely loathed the idea of writing stories, essays and whatnot. Finally, someone she could share her hobby with!

As Hailey and Xavier approached the table where the rest of the group sat, Amy immediately gasped when she saw Xavier.

"Oh my gosh! You must be the new kid! So, what's your name? Where're you from? What's your favorite color?" She asked hysterically. Hailey laughed and Xavier just stood there stupefied.

"Amy, don't scare the new guy away!" Jack complained as he munched on a pack of cheese and crackers.

Xavier chuckled and introduced himself.

"Nice to meet ya Xavier. I'm Amy, and this is Jack, Fred…" As Amy continued introducing the group, Hailey went to get herself a snack. She ordered a bottle of grape juice and two muffins. She then came back to the table and opened her juice bottle, when suddenly, a hand hit the bottom of the plastic bottle, making it slip out of Hailey's hands and splattering all over her shirt, staining it purple. Hailey gave a dumbfound expression as she snarled at her attacker.

"What the hell is your problem, Logan?!" She yelled at him as the three jerk-wads laughed and pointed. Hailey's face flushed as dozens of students in the cafeteria laughed and snickered. Unfortunately for the three boys, they had yet to notice the murderous expressions written on Fred, Amy and Xavier's faces, while Jack and Elli glared at them.
Quick as lightning, Amy kicked Logan in the groin as hard as she could, sending him shouting in pain and curling up in the fetal position on the floor. While this was happening, Fred had punched Kyle in the jaw and left the latter's lip bleeding, as well as Xavier, who had Rick pinned to a wall, glaring daggers and threatening to rip out his guts. The rest of the students quickly got up closer to watch the brawl, rooting for Hailey's group. As this happened, Hailey, Jack and Elli soon joined in. They started throwing their food at Logan, who was still on the floor, and at Kyle, who was still recovering from that 'Falcon Punch' he received from Fred. Unfortunately for the group, teachers arrived and the three trouble makers, in addition to Fred, were sent to the principal's office. Since Fred had been the only one use violence, he was sentenced to three days of detention. Not that he really cared.

The rest of the day went by like a breeze. Despite their differences, Xavier became friends with the group very easily. As the day ended, the five students, excluding Xavier, walked up to the main entrance, laughing and giggling at what happened earlier that day.

"Y-you guys s-should have seen t-the looks o-on t-their faces!" Elli said as she giggled.

"No kidding! That was freaking awesome!" Fred replied.

"Just the way Amy reacted when Logan spilled the bottle on me! If looks could kill, man!" Hailey bellowed with laughter.

"You can say that again. NO ONE messes with my buds!" Amy said as she looped her arms around Hailey and Jack's necks and pulled them closer.

"Ack! Chocking! Not breathing!" Jack made a chocking sound and Amy released them, chuckling.

As the school bus approached the entrance, students started forming a line. Hailey examined the entrance, and wondered where Xavier could be.

"W-well, this is o-our ride." Elli said. "S-sure you d-don't w-want to ride w-with us, Hailey? I-I don't s-s-see your d-dad any-w-where." Hailey shrugged.

"No prob. I'll just walk. It's pretty sunny out anyway."

"Alright then. See ya tomorrow!" Fred said as he got on the bus.

Hailey waved goodbye and threw her bag over her shoulder and began walking home. But then, a voice called out her name. Xavier waved and ran to her. The teenage boy had spent his last two periods on the bottom floor of the school. Therefore he became separated from the group. Luckily for him Hailey was walking today, otherwise he would have been lost. He may have moved to town earlier that week, but he still had yet to figure out which road to take to get home.

"Hey. Mind if I walk with you?" He asked as he gave her his trademark smirk.

"Sure." She smiled back and they began their way home. On their way, they talked about their interests, hobbies, and so on.

"So what kind of writing do you do most?" Xavier asked his female friend.

"Oh, mostly short stories and poems. Fantasy, sometimes thrillers or love stories. I always wanted to write a mystery story, but… I suck at solving them, so how the heck am I supposed to write one?" They chuckled.

"You know, the key to writing a mystery story is to make up the mystery within your mind. You need to imagine yourself as both the criminal and the detective. Otherwise you miss little details that can throw the story completely off track." Xavier explained. Hailey stared in astonishment.

"Wow, you should be the next Sherlock Holmes." She chuckled.

"Once you get the hang of it I'm sure you'll be the next Nancy Drew." They both laughed.

A few minutes ticked by and before they knew it, the two students were standing in front of Hailey's house. It had three floors, was painted a bronze color and had stepping stones leading to the garage door, the front porch as well as the back patio. Xavier gave her a thumbs up.

"Nice house." He said.

"Thanks." She then noticed he seemed to have a slightly worried expression on his face.

"You alright?" She asked him. He just nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, just tired, is all." He took a step back. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow, Hailey."

"Yep. See ya!" She waved at him and pulled out her house key.

Once inside, she placed her oversized bag on the floor and dragged her feet up to her bedroom. She opened the door and saw two fur balls on her bed; one rust color with white markings, and the other smaller with black and gold markings. The rust colored one poked his head out from under its paws and yawned.

"Hey there Pawly." She smiled at the Australian Shepherd as she scratched behind his ears, making him whimper in approval. The black and gold fur ball meowed and stretched itself on the bed, rolling over on its size as if saying: 'What about me? Don't I get my belly rub?' Hailey chuckled and ruffled the cat's fur.

"Hey Buttercup."

Hailey sat down at her desk and started her computer. Once opened, she continued working on the poem she had been writing yesterday.

A family is forever
As do they say
A group of people so dear to you
In their own special way
Grandmas and grandpas
Uncles and aunts
Cousins and friends
All holding hands

Simply chatting and playing
All around the campfire
That is a moment
That everyone desires
To finally see their smile
On their memorable face
After traveling far and wide
From place to place

After a few hours, Hailey finally finished the poem.

"Few, another one done." She said as she printed it and placed it in her binder, which served as a folder for her poems and stories, a photo album, and a diary. She grabbed a pen and started writing down what happened today.

Well, another day gone. Logan finally got what he deserved. I'm glad we won't EVER be seeing any of his spawns on this Earth. I so owe Amy. Plus, new kid is pretty cool. No, lemme rephrase that, he's AWESOME! He's pretty cute, and funny, not to mention he seems kind of mischievous, hehe. He's probably the only one who shares my interests around here. The others are alright, but every time I mention writing or poems, they seem to black out or fall asleep. Heck, I guess I can't blame them. Everyone has their tastes. Finally, someone I can actually have an intellectual conversation with. I've got a feeling things are going to get pretty interesting with Xavier around…

End of Chapter 2