The first day of high school was supposed to be the beginning of something new. For Kael Draven, it felt more like the beginning of a year he would never forget.
"Kael! Hurry up!"
Kael looked up from the mirror as his best friend's voice came from downstairs.
"I'm coming!"
He grabbed his backpack and rushed out of his room, nearly tripping over the shoes he had left beside the door the night before.
His mother stood in the kitchen with a smile.
"First day of high school," she said. "Are you nervous?"
"Not really."
His mother raised an eyebrow.
Kael smiled. "Okay, maybe a little."
His father laughed from the dining table.
"You'll be fine. Just remember, high school isn't the end of the world."
Kael picked up a piece of toast.
"Tell that to Ethan."
From outside came a loud knock.
"KAEL!"
Kael sighed. "That's Ethan."
His mother laughed. "Then you better go before he breaks the door."
Kael hurried outside. Ethan Cross was standing beside the car, tapping his foot impatiently.
"You took forever."
"I was eating."
"You've been eating for seventeen years."
Kael stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means you're slow."
Kael shoved him lightly. Ethan laughed. The two had been best friends for years. Their families knew each other, their parents trusted them, and they had practically grown up together.
Now they were starting high school together. They had promised each other that nothing would change. At least, that was what Kael believed.
The school was larger than Kael expected. Students crowded the entrance, talking loudly as they searched for classrooms.
"This place is huge," Ethan said.
Kael nodded. "Yeah."
"You think we'll survive?"
"Probably. If you stop getting us into trouble."
Ethan placed a hand over his heart. "Me? Trouble? You got us detention in middle school."
"You were there too."
"Because you convinced me."
"And you agreed."
They laughed as they walked into the building. The morning passed quickly. They attended their first classes, met new students, and struggled to remember the confusing hallway system.
By lunchtime, Kael and Ethan were sitting together outside.
"So," Ethan said, opening his lunch, "what do you think?"
"About what?"
