First day

The following day, those who happened to arrive at Azure Rocks High 10 minutes early were shocked by the sudden arrival of a large black limousine, cruising into the parking lot like a shark. More surprising was when the door opened and a petite asian beauty in a casual pink sundress stepped out onto the asphalt, tossing her dark hair like a model as she shut the door behind her and strode into the school as if down a catwalk. Boys gaped at her curves, their girlfriends staring as well with far less impressed expressions. Rumours spread of the new arrival of course, but it wasn't until lunchtime that Heather could confirm her suspicions. Trent, Gavin, Brandon, Sharon, Victoria and Ashley all started at her loud groan.

"Oh. My God," Heather whined, eyes narrowing at the slender figure. "It *is* her!"

Her friends followed her gaze, inspecting the asian beauty she'd been complaining about non-stop since yesterday. On the other side of the cafeteria Xin opened her bag and pulled out what looked like an extraordinarily expensive packed lunch. Heather scowled as she began daintily lifting rice into her mouth.

"Fuck me!" Trent exclaimed, eyes like saucers. "Max wasn't lying when he said she's hot as fuck!"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Put your dick away Thornton. I don't see anything special."

"Shar, I won't call you a dyke if you say other girls are pretty," Trent shot back. "She's incredible." The redhead flipped him off.

"Why's she here?" Heather moaned, drawing the concerned but bemused gaze of her boyfriend.

"I guess she needs to go to school too," Gavin shrugged, before noticing Victoria's furrowed brow. "What is it Vicky?"

"It is a little strange..." the blonde reporter began after a brief pause, covering her mouth as she spoke around her salad. "She's staying in the most expensive suite at the Ravers Hotel, she's coming to school in a limo, she's eating... whatever that is. Shouldn't she have a private tutor or something?"

"She's spying on me," Heather declared. "That's what it is. She's trying to get some... some kind of edge over me, so they can use it in their deal with daddy."

"You're so right," Sharon nodded seriously, sarcasm lost in an impressively sincere tone of voice, but everyone picked up on her acerbic tone anyway. Heather scowled at her friend.

"She is looking over here a lot..." Brandon had stopped shovelling down his chicken to take another look. "But she's not looking at you Heather, she's... I think she's looking at Trent?"

"No way!" Trent gasped, raised fork quivering in the air as he fought the urge to spin and give away that they were discussing her. "Dude, if you're fucking with me..."

"No he's right." Sharon sounded amazed, openly turning to stare at Xin herself. "She's eyefucking you Thornton."

Trent scrambled to his feet. "I'm going over."

"You can't be serious." Sharon's expression was filled with contempt as the black boy stumbled past her in his eagerness to get over there.

"I've got to shoot my shot now man!" He exclaimed "Before someone gets in there first!" Sharon was almost too shocked to be contemptuous.

"Godspeed dude." It was impossible for Brandon to hide his smirk at his friend careening across the cafeteria, dodging out of the way of students carrying lunch trays back and forth in the packed room.

"What a fucking idiot," Sharon sighed, eyes fixed on his retreating back.

"Jealous?" Heather cosied up to Gavin, resting her head on his shoulder, while Sharon scowled at her.

"Like hell."

The group watched with amused interest as Trent reached the foreign visitor and seemed to infiltrate her solitary lunchtime. She covered her mouth with what seemed like almost overbearing politeness when he said something to her, chewing the small mouthful of rice she'd just taken in.

"Smooth," Ashley said, surprised. "Does Trent have game do we think?"

"No," Heather replied, watching them talk with narrowed eyes. She still wasn't 100% convinced the Chinese beauty wasn't going to press Trent for secrets about Ravers Enterprises. Not that he could give much... anything away.

"Not a chance," Sharon rolled her eyes.

"I love my bro, but not at all," Brandon nodded sadly. It seemed to be going well though, Xin's eyes crinkling with amusement above the hand that covered her face. Whatever Trent was saying she seemed to be finding it amusing.

"Nice to see she's looking at him while he talks," Heather said in acid tones. "The bitch wouldn't even look at me yesterday."

"Hey hey hey what's going on?" Brandon interrupted another one of Heather's complaints. "Is that...?"

The group fell into amazed silence as the girl pulled a small piece of paper from her bag and handed it to Trent, who bowed graciously and gave her a little wave before turning and heading back towards his friends, disbelieving happiness written over his features.

"No fucking way," Heather gasped. Victoria turned to look at her friend, equally gobsmacked.

"Did he...?" Brandon cut himself off, trying again in a much louder voice as Trent drew closer. "Yes bro! Well done dude!"

"I got it..." Trent said numbly. "I got it!" Brandon clapped him on the back as he sat down.

"Congratulations Trent!" Ashley smiled at him, 5 seconds elapsing before his brain told him to smile back.

"Yeah, I got it!" He beamed.

"Very impressive," Sharon cut into the celebratory mood. "Loser gets a girls phone number. Bet she never replies to you."

"Au contraire bitch," Trent replied, too happy to inject any real venom into his words. "We're going out tonight. For a meal." Sharon folded her arms silently, the other girls gasping in excitement.

"Amazing!" Victoria squealed. "Well done Trent!"

Trent frowned. "Okay, it's actually starting to sound a little mocking when you say that. I do have game guys."

"We know buddy," Brandon clapped his friend on the back again, everyone else hiding a smirk. Trent fistbumped his friend.

"Where are the two of you going?" Gavin asked.

Trent furrowed his brow. "Uh, she said something like 'amazing blue'."

A sudden yelp of laughter tore itself from Heather, everyone turning to her in surprise.

"What's so funny?" Trent asked, the brunette cheerleader hiding her mirth behind her hand for a long few seconds before regaining her composure.

"Trent, do you mean 'La Maison Bleue'?" she managed finally.

"Oh! Yeah, probably!" Trent smiled. "I didn't know the place, I was gonna ask you guys if you'd heard of it."

Heather set off giggling again. "How much money do you have Trent?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Not much. Why?"

"You need to buy yourself a suit dude."