Finding Ourselves Together (READ REVAMP VERSION - IN WAVES)

I flung open the door to my first class and bounded through, sensing all the heads turning my way as I interrupted the lesson.

"Mrs. Rivers!" I shouted and gasped for air at the same time, trying not to look like a complete lunatic in front of everyone. Mrs. Rivers, my English teacher who was always strewn in dull and woolly clothing, jumped at my sudden presence and dropped the white chalk she was holding.

"Ms. DeMarco, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" She clutched her chest and stared at me with wide eyes.

I held my ribs and tried to catch my breath; too jumbled to care what the class was thinking while they took in my sight. Ugh, so tired. Need to form a coherent sentence.

"I'm so sorry I'm late." I managed to say between mouthfuls of fresh air entering my lungs.

She looked at me grimly and folded her arms tightly against herself. "Let me guess, this is Roberto's doing?"

Man, sometimes being related to Rob made it hard to have teachers look at me objectively. It was never just Lia...it was always Rob's sister.

"Well I—"

"LIIIIIAAAAAAA!" A high-pitched screech echoed through the classroom and my heart jumped, along with Mrs. Rivers' new piece of chalk she had just picked up. I knew damn well who had caused the commotion. Laughter filled the classroom as I searched over the desks and found my best friend, Rachel. Her dark auburn hair fell over her shoulders as she moved around and squirmed excitedly in her seat.

Here's what you need to know about Rachel; her outfit always consisted of something pink, she was a cheerleader, and she was always excited. Too excited. You know those people who always looked on the bright side? Those people who were adored by everyone just because of who they are? The ones who could have the worst day ever and still found the good in it? Yeah, that was Rachel, and I loved every single hair on that crazy head. Even though she was a cheerleader, it never got in the way of our friendship; it just meant she was more involved with that side of school, the popular side I had avoided for years.

"Rachel, please lower your voice. I think I heard glass breaking." Mrs. Rivers said exhaustedly. I guess she had really been enjoying a summer without having to deal with teenagers every day.

Rachel rolled her eyes and put on an offended voice "I think I have the right to be excited, I haven't seen my best friend for a month. That's like a million years in friendship time!"

I stifled a giggle and realized how much I had missed this girl while she was away in Cabo having the time of her life. Mrs. Rivers puffed out with exasperation and told me to take my seat, I could tell she was already on the brink of losing it and may have been re-evaluating becoming a teacher at this point. As I made my way through the desks to the empty seat next to Rachel, I felt Matt's eyes on me when I passed him. Seeing him in person after so many weeks of being apart caused me to jolt a little. His varsity jacket fit flawlessly over his broad torso, and his hair fell over his eyes just like how I had seen in the photo I was looking at earlier.

Stay calm, don't embarrass yourself.

"Hey, Lia." He grinned at me and ran his fingers through his hair, making my legs stop clear in my tracks.

"Hi, Matt." I managed to say, sounding pretty decent and trying to ignore the fact that my stomach was in full flutter mode. We stared at each other for a few seconds before I realized all eyes were on us from around the classroom. I quickly moved on and took my seat, furiously attempting not to blush and give my nerves away.

"Oh my god I have to tell you about my summer, what did you do while I was away?! I need to show you these photos!" Rachel bombarded me with fast-talking and big eyes, paying no attention to our surroundings.