My father always told me that a goal without action is just a dream and that those who dream always get slept on. He never told me this for any particular reason, just to get me out of bed in the morning. He hated that I was such a heavy sleeper and that I would spend every waking moment in my bed if it was possible. He would have been so disappointed in me this morning. It was my first day at Riverdale high school and I was most definitely late. School started at 7:35 and it was 8:20 and I was just waking up. I took this quickest shower I possibly could and raced to my closet. Riverdale High didn't take part in students wearing school uniforms and sadly I wish they had. I hated trying to figure out what to wear. I spotted my bleached high waist shorts and paired them with my Chicago Bulls hoodie. Once I was dressed I laced up my Jordans and was ready to go. I silently paced myself and creped through my house, careful not to make any sudden movements that would wake up my older brother. If he knew I was still home he'd alert my mother and I would have my head chewed off. Once I safely made it down the stairs I grabbed my car keys off the counter and made a mad dash for my car. I was fortunate that my car had gotten in from Chicago when it did because if it didn't my head would have been on a stake. Caribbean parents and school were two things that should not be played with. It took me about 10 minutes to get to my new school and I was sure to check my hair out before I got out of the car. I took one last glance of myself, grabbed my book bag, locked my car and took my first step through Riverdale High. I must have arrived just after the bell rung to switch classes because the halls were full of students. I felt like a deer caught in headlights because I had absolutely no idea where to go. I must have had a sign on my forehead that said new girl because people were looking at me as if I had a third eye on my face. After about two more minutes of me looking extremely lost someone finally came up to me to ask me if I needed some help. "Hey are you new"? He questioned. "Yeah, that obvious huh"? I chuckled. He smiled and asked me where I was trying to get to. "I'm trying to get to the office to get my schedule, but I have no idea where that is". I said. "I'll take you there". He responded. He escorted me to the office and made small talk the whole way there. He was a really nice person but I couldn't help but think about what Julian was doing and where he was at. I hadn't seen him since our encounter a few days ago and it made me a slight uneasy for whatever reason. After a great deal of turns and going up a flight of stairs we made it to the office. It was absolutely in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't even begin to fathom how they expected me to find this place. He held the door for me and followed behind me as I approached the front desk. "Good morning how may I help you" said the secretary from behind the desk. "Yes, I'm Heaven Cassanova. I just transferred from Chicago. I was told to pick up my schedule here." I said. She tapped around in her computer for a few minutes before printing and handing me my schedule. "You've already missed your first and second period. You're in time for third. I see you walked in with David have him take you to class." She said I thanked her and walked over to David who had taken a seat on the couch. "I never introduced myself, I'm Heaven." I said. "I'm David" He responded. "Thanks again for bringing me here I appreciate it" I said. He chuckled and said "It's really no problem. Where is your third period class"? "Uh, Ms. Lavan. English 4 honors." I responded. "That's my third hour too, let's go." He chimed. It took us about two minutes to get there and once we got in front of the classroom door I felt my stomach drop. I never had to start over or reinvent myself at any point in my life and I wasn't sure if I'd be any good at it. It was also the fifth month into senior year which only made matters that much more difficult. David walked in and took his seat and I stood by the door like a lost puppy. The students in the classroom shifted in their seats and faced me which caused me to feel extremely uneasy. At that moment I knew exactly how a fish in a tank felt. Ms. Lavan turned from the white board and flashed me a smile. "You must be Heaven". She said. Her tone was warm and inviting and it made me feel a little bit more at ease. I nodded my head to let her know that she was correct. She clapped her hands to get the attention of the class before saying "Class, this is Heaven. She's a new student from Chicago. I ensure that you will make her time here at Riverdale a good one". I got a few smiles from my peers, a few blank stares, and a few dirty looks. It was all to be expected I thought. "Heaven" Ms. Lavan said. "Yes"? I responded. "I don't know where your previous English teacher was at in your other school but we just started reading Romeo and Juliet. There is an empty seat in front of Mr. Epps you can dub the seat yours." She said. "Who is Mr. Epps"? I questioned. "Mr. Epps please raise your hand" She demanded. When he raised his hand I caught sight of him and nearly passed out, it was Julian. I quickly walked to my seat and slumped down into my chair. I hated when attention was placed on me and the quicker I could get rid of it the better. As Ms. Lavan ranted on and on about Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet my mind floated off into a daydream about Julian. My daydream was interrupted by a hissing sound. "Psst..." "Psst..." "Psst... Heaven." I turned around and my eyes caught contact with Julian's and I smiled. He smiled back at me which made my heart skip a beat. "Yes"? I questioned. "Here" He said. He handed me a folded up piece of paper with a makeshift heart drawn on the front side and I felt ever piece of me warm up on the inside. I slowly unfolded the note and I'm almost certain I had the goofiest smile on my face as I read Julian's words. You know Heaven I had a mocha caramel frappe today. It was the most amazing shade of brown. Like I've never seen a brown that color before and it was by far the best frappe I've ever had in my life. You're probably reading this like wtf is wrong with this nigga but it reminded me of you. You have the most flawless mocha skin that I've ever seen in my life. Long story short you're beautiful and I'm probably the corniest nigga alive to you now. I reread the note about a million times. It made me laugh and it made me smile. I couldn't believe that Julian had thought about me and that he would even bother write me a note. The remainder of the class period I sat in silence with a huge smile stretched across my face. The bell rung and I was still so caught up in the note that I didn't even notice. Julian tapped me on my shoulder and asked me if I wanted him to walk me to my next class. I smiled and told him that I would greatly appreciate it. "How you like it here so far"? He asked. "I mean it's cool, just different." I responded. We continued to walk for a few seconds before I realized that he was staring at me. "Why you looking at me like that, see something you like"? I questioned. "Naw, not really just trying to figure out how you hide your tracks, I mean you did a good job." He chuckled. "What? This is all my hair" I barked. He laughed and said "It's ok to be bald headed, I'll like you all the same." I punched him in his arm and started to stomp off away from him. He grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of him. We were so close I could tell you the exact brand and flavor of the gum he was chewing on. "Heaven, don't be mad at me I was only joking around." He pleaded. "It's ok. You're probably just use to dealing with bald headed scallywags." I joked. He pouted and I pulled him in for a hug. "Don't take it to heart, we're only joking right"? I questioned. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, there's your class". He said dryly. I pulled his hand and said "Oh come on don't be a sore loser. You can't stay mad at me." He smiled and then gave me a kiss on the cheek. "You're going to make me late. Have a great class beautiful" He said before running down the hall to his classroom. I had a crush on Julian, a huge crush. It had been so long since I'd felt anyway about anyone other than Devin and I must admit it felt good and there was no way Julian Epps was not going to be mine.

*PHOTO OF DAVID TO SIDE*