catch me i'm falling // [david hogan]

A|N: This is supposed to be set in 1987, so imagination is definitely key here! I have a few different ways I could take this, so I'm going to see how this goes over! Also, David is supposed to be Jason Bateman; if you need anymore information, check out the show the Hogan Family!

Collecting my things from my locker, I glimpsed at the time held on my left wrist. I had only two minutes before I'd be expected to arrive at the "Friday meeting," named officially after every attempt to come up with a social event for the evening. I slammed the creaky metal door shut, scanning the anarchic hall for a quick escape route. I maneuvered my way through a crowd of screaming Freshmen, who seemed to find a new exit to congregate in front of every week. I had yet to learn the ins and outs of Oak Park High; three weeks had proven an inadequate amount of time when it came to dodging a pre-weekend rush to get to the green-lawn gathering holding this weekend's fate. Things so far hadn't been so bad, but I really don't understand why my parents couldn't have waited another year to separate, and for good this time. I'd just be off at college, not having to start from scratch my senior year of high school. Of course, any move comes with a set of friends you'll only get to see twice a year, and in some cases, a boyfriend you have to carry on a long-distance relationship with. I was doing my best to make everything work. I had a group of friends, plans on the weekends; there wasn't much to complain about.

"Natalie, hey!" My friend, Jessica, chimed as we took a seat at our usual table. "Congratulations on the completion of your third week at Oak Park! How do you feel?" Fixing my tousled chestnut side bangs, I threw my bag atop the warped wooden picnic table.

"Still stressed, thanks for asking," I replied as everyone took their usual seats. Every day for the past three weeks, the order has gone as follows: Shane sat to the left of me, Jessica to the right, and Christine on the opposite side of Jessica. Rich was always next to Christine; his arms always wrapped around hers, and some days, a friend of Rich's from the basketball team would stop over and sit to his right. Rich and Christine have been dating for almost two years, while Shane, Jessica and Christine have known each other since they were in grade school. I just happened to meet Jess by chance a few weeks back during an Anatomy class. The two of us became so lightheaded after watching a demonstration, that we had to step out of the room and wait in the nurse's office. We got to talking, hit it off, and, well, here I was. The group was pretty cordial from the start, which made for a much smoother transition.

"We should christen her and bring her to her first Oak Park basketball game tonight," Christine's face lit up, "It's going to be wild!"

"That's a great idea!" Jessica's blonde curls bounced as she nodded at Shane.

"Jess, the only reason you want to go is so you can see David Hogan in a basketball uniform." Shane chuckled as her face turned the color of Rich's letterman jacket.

"Shh!" She shot her eyes over to Rich, then back to Shane, "I think it'll be really fun." She glared at him.

"Wait, David Hogan? As in my neighbor?" I whispered.

"You know him?" Jessica grabbed her books, her eyes widening. Our group disbanded as Rich and Christine rose from the table, the three of us following behind.

"I mean, I've never formally met him. His parents are pretty nice, though. They stopped over once when we first moved in."

"Maybe Rich can introduce both of you to Dave, then." Shane scoffed.

"Hey, Natalie has a boyfriend back home. You know, Brand the man? The long-distance lover? And besides, I don't have a crush on David." I scratched my head as Jessica gushed.

"Whatever," he smirked. "I'll see you guys at the game tonight, alright?" 

—