Melissa walked slowly, yet confidently into her new school. She was
used to new experiences so something like a new school didn't bother her
much. Besides there was no way that the people here could be anywhere near
as horrible as the ones in her last school. She walked down the hall
studying the faces of the people that went by her. She spotted Elizabeth
talking to a tall brunette girl while putting things in her locker. "Well,
where Elizabeth is, Lucky will soon be," Melissa thought to herself. She
walked up to them and heard the tail end of their conversation before
announcing her presence.

        "I'm so glad that my parents let me go," Emily said happily. "Of
course the fact that Nikolas was going reassured them, oh, not to mention
you and Lucky. It was so much fun don't you think? New York City without
having to worry about a blackmailer!"

        "I know," Elizabeth said. "I'm glad that you were able to come too.
It was a great way to celebrate Tom being in jail."

        Whatever they were talking about sounded like it had the potential
for being an interesting story, but she decided to ask about it later. "Hi,
Elizabeth!" She said cheerily as she came up behind her.

        Elizabeth turned "Oh, hi Melissa," she said. " How are you?"

        "Fine," Melissa said. "Except for the fact that I'm at a school. I
hate the first day of at a new school."

        "Don't I know it!" Emily said vehemently.

        "Melissa, this is Emily Quartermaine." Liz said. "Em, this is
Melissa Jacks." She turned back to her locker to get out her books for her
first classes.

        "Oh, you must be Jax's sister!" Emily said. "I heard him mention
you to Brenda once. Are you here for good?"

        "Um, yeah," Melissa said in a slightly distracted voice.

        Elizabeth still had her back turned so she didn't notice, but Emily
followed Melissa's gaze to see what had drawn her attention. There, coming
down the hall, was Lucky. Emily looked from Melissa to Lucky and back again
watching Melissa appraisingly as Lucky reached them. Melissa had a certain
predatory gleam in her eyes. Emily's eyes narrowed as she saw Melissa smile
brightly at Lucky. "Hey Lucky," Melissa said. "How are you?"

        "Hey Melissa." Lucky said pleasantly. "I'm fine, how are you?"

        "I'm well," Melissa said.

        "Hey Em," Lucky said turning to his long time friend. He did a
double take. Was she glaring at Melissa!? The look that he had seen was
gone, and he was sure that he had to have imagined it...right?

        "Hey Lucky," she said smiling at him. He smiled back at her before
turning to the Elizabeth.

        "And how is my angel this fine Monday morning?" he asked Elizabeth
with a grin.

        "Tired," she said smiling back at him. "And since when can a Monday
morning be called 'fine?'"

        "Since you're in it," Lucky said seriously, his eyes conveying his
sincerity. Anywhere, at anytime was fine as long as Elizabeth was there.

        Melissa watched the scene silently fuming and Emily watched Melissa
silently fume. Emily had a very bad feeling about this girl! Melissa
decided that it was time to make a move. This was entirely too mushy for
her tastes! "Lucky, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, could you show me
where the office is? I was told that I should go there to get my schedule
and I have absolutely no idea where it is."

        "Sure," Lucky said, still gazing at Elizabeth. "I'll see you in
class, okay?" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

        "Okay," Elizabeth said smiling at him, trying not to be bothered by
Melissa's obvious interest in Lucky. Lucky smiled back at her and then led
Melissa toward the office.

        "I don't like her," Emily said as she and Elizabeth watched them
go. "She's up to something."

        "You noticed it too, huh?" Elizabeth said with a small sigh. "She
wants him."

        "And that makes you nervous?" Emily said sympathetically.

        "I've been there," Elizabeth said. "I know what lengths people will
go to to get what they want. Add to that the fact that she seems like the
type that always gets what she wants and we have a bona fide problem. What
lengths will she go to to get him?"

        "I don't think that you have to worry Liz. Lucky loves you. As for
Melissa, my only advice involving her is to never take anything having to
do with her at face value. Look for hidden agendas and tricks. She's the
type that will have plenty."

        "That's easy to agree with now, but who knows how I'll feel when
she actually starts pulling them?" She shook her head. "I don't even want
to think about it anymore right now. I trust Lucky and I know that he would
never purposely hurt me." She offered Em a weak smile. "Now all I have to
do is keep that in mind."

        Emily laughed gently and put her arm comfortingly around her
friend. "I'm sure that everything will be fine. And hey, we both know that
it'll be you that he goes to the dance with on Friday. Beyond that, why
even bother thinking about it? Anything beyond that will only give you a
headache!"

        Liz laughed. "I'll agree with you there. Let's go, we're going to
be late."  They headed down the hall and into their separate classrooms.

*LUCKY AND MELISSA*

        Melissa studied Lucky silently as he led her to the office. She had
no idea why she was so interested in him. Sure, he was a nice looking guy,
but there was nothing extraordinary about him, except for his eyes. His
eyes were something special. They could show so many emotions so clearly
and strongly. They were the first thing that she had noticed about him and
they were what came to mind when she thought about him. Not that she really
needed to know why she wanted him, in order to want him. It was just
interesting to think about.

        Lucky nodded to friends as they walked down the hall. As they
passed a tall redheaded boy, with the classic freckled face they were
flagged down. He checked out Melissa and the fact that she was walking with
Lucky and gave Lucky a teasing grin. "Hey Lucky. What, it isn't enough that
you monopolize all of Elizabeth's time? You have to catch the new girls as
soon as they walk into town?"

        "Very funny, Mike!" Lucky said, good-naturedly. "You know I'm a one
woman man. Oh and since I'm sure you're wondering this is Melissa Jacks and
she's new here, obviously. Melissa this is Mike. Don't take anything he
says too seriously."

        "Nice to meet you," Melissa said shaking Mike's hand and smiling at
him.

        "Nice to meet you too," Mike said with a grin. "So how did you meet
Lucky, here?"

        "We ran into each other over the weekend," Melissa said. "Literally."

        "Huh?" Mike said.

        "I knocked her down on my way to work," Lucky said sheepishly. "I
make the best first impressions, as you know."

        "Yeah, you're a regular Prince Charming," Mike said jokingly.

        "Thanks a lot." Lucky said.

        "Well, I gotta go," Mike said. "It was nice meeting you Melissa."

        "You too," Melissa said.

        She and Lucky continued on. "Well, here's the office," Lucky said.
"I gotta go or I'll be late for class, not that that would be a big
surprise, but..."

        "Okay," Melissa said. "Thanks for showing me the way."

        "No problem," Lucky said. "I'll see you later!"

        "Bye," Melissa said. She walked Lucky walk away and then went into
the office to pick up her schedule.

*LUNCHTIME*

        Lucky and Liz were sitting at a table eating lunch when Mike came
over to the table. "Hey guys," he said.

        "Hi Mike," Liz said.

        "Hey," Lucky said.

        "Are you guys going to the dance on Friday?" Mike asked casually.

        "Yeah," Lucky answered. "Why?"

        "Well, see I wasn't going to go, but then I saw you walking down
the hall with that gorgeous creature this morning, and I was just hoping
that you would, well, set me up with her, maybe as a double date or
something. It would be the best favor and I would be forever in your debt."

        Lucky and Liz broke into laughter. "No problem, Mike." Lucky said.
"I'll give it a try. I can't guarantee anything but I'll build you up to
the point that you won't even recognize yourself."

        "Very funny," Mike said. "Just tell her the truth, okay. I don't
want her thinking that she's going out with this great guy and then ending
up with me."

        "You're too hard on yourself!" Lizzie said, smiling at him.

        Mike shrugged. "Hey, someone has to be. Oh, here she comes. Do your
best Lucky!"

        "Don't worry, I will," Lucky said as Mike took off.

        Melissa walked in to the Cafeteria. She had had a bad day. Not only
had she not been in so much as one class with Lucky, she always seemed to
end up in the same class as Emily, and that girl seriously did not like
her! You would think that Lucky was Emily's boyfriend or something the way
that she had been giving Melissa the evil eye! All in all it was turning
out to be a bad day indeed. She looked around the cafeteria and spotted
Elizabeth and Lucky sitting at a table with Mike. She headed over to them
just as Mike left.

        "Hi!" she said as she arrived at the table. She sat down with a
huge sigh.

        "Rough day?" Elizabeth asked.

        "Yeah," Melissa said. "The first day is always the worst though."

        "Oh yeah," Lucky said agreeably. "Don't I know that!"

        "You've moved around a lot?" Melissa asked.

        "You could say that," Lucky said. Seeing Melissa's puzzled look he
clarified. "I grew up on the run."

        "On the run from what?" Melissa asked.

        "The mob," Lucky said simply. "It's a long story. Anyway, Elizabeth
and I were just talking to Mike and he was wondering if you'd like to go to
the dance with him on Friday."

        "Why didn't he just ask me himself?" Melissa asked. She had always
hated those "will you ask so-and-so to go out with me" things, and she had
thought that she had left that behind in middle school.

        Lucky shrugged. "He wants to double with us, but he doesn't have a
date, and I suggested that since you're new in town you might go with him."

        "Is he that bad?" Melissa asked uneasily.

        "Huh?" Lucky said as Lizzie laughed.

        "You make him sound so appealing, I'm sure he'll be very grateful,
Lucky."

        "What did I say?"

        "Basically that only someone that didn't know him would go out with
him," Lizzie said, laughing at his expression. Lucky thought about what he
had said and started laughing himself.

        "I guess you're right," he said. "Melissa, what I meant to say was
that he thought that you were nice when you met and that he was out of town
for quite a while, so most of the girls already have dates. I thought that
the two of you might hit it off so I thought that we could double for the
dance."

        "Why not Emily?"

        "She's going with Nikolas," Lucky said. "We're meeting them there."

        "Oh," Melissa said. "Well I guess I'll go with Mike."

        "Not the most enthusiastic response he's ever gotten, I'm sure,"
Lucky said with a smile. "But it will do."

        "Sorry, but it just caught me a little off guard," Melissa said.
Lizzie could guess why. She obviously wanted to go with Lucky, but had
decided that if she went with Mike she would at least be near him. The very
same thoughts were going through Melissa's head. "So who's this Nikolas
person?" Melissa asked. "Does he go to school here?"

        "Naw," Lucky said. "He has a tutor. As for who he is, he's my half
brother."

        "Why is he tutored, while you go to school?" Melissa asked confused.

        "Well, for one thing, he's a prince, as for the rest," he said as
the bell rang. "Well, that's just too long of a story to tell."

        "Oh," Melissa said. "Well maybe later." Lucky shrugged as he and
Lizzie got to their feet.

        "See you later," Lizzie said.

        :Yeah, later," Lucky said. The two of them left for their next class.

        "Bye," Melissa said. She was starting to get a little discouraged
with Lucky. He barely noticed her! Oh well. She had all the time in the
world and she had barely started!

To be continued...

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