Batman calls, Killer runs.

"No, I eat children for lunch, and pathetic bitches for breakfast. So I'll watch my words if I were you, Georgette."

I chuckle as I drag my best friend away from the blonde beauty, to our next class.

"It's too early in the morning to deal with her. Believe me, I'd let you go all batshit crazy on her ass but I won't get any real entertainment out of it if coffee doesn't enter me." I grumble once we sit and ignore her glare.

"You really should get your own coffee in the mornings, Killer. I feel like the friend of a bully."

As if on cue, Joanne appears with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Freshly made with extra whipped cream."

I notice the new highlights on her blond hair and watch her skip away, comfortably walking through the open door.

I glance at the mahogany door and sigh. The school really should change the doors. I am forced to bend to walk through them whenever I wear heels.

"Joanne never complains." I shoot back, warming my hands with the cup.

"That's because she thinks doing your bidding would make her cool." Her eyes follow Joanne as she steps through the door. "She is so down to earth, literally."

"Okay, mean Himari is not needed here. What's bothering you? You've been snapping at everything since I saw you this morning."

She twirls a strand of black hair round her finger and looks everywhere but at me.

"Whatever could you mean? I'm dandy! Just great."

"You sit on a throne of lies."

She gives it up and sighs.

"Fine. Aaron won't be changing schools like they said."

"Like you said. You said he was changing schools because of Georgette's return!" Her eyes widen and she raises a hand in surrender.

Her basketball bracelets catch a sun ray and I watch them, amazed at her dedication to our team.

"Look, I got the information from a reliable source. He must have changed his mind or something. You said yourself that the demon in him could decide it wasn't done tormenting you and make him stay."

I take a large gulp of the coffee to calm myself down, letting the cream line my lips to annoy her. Perfectionist that she is.

"I jinxed myself. And to think I would have had an Aaron-free senior year. So his summer with all those hot Paris girls wasn't enough to make him want to leave this place? Paris girls have disappointed me."

Relieved I am not mad at her, Himari smiles.

"You must be cursed."

A hush falls on the class as a man I have seen around school steps in.

"Hello guys. I'm Dave Fernando and I will be your Chemistry teacher this year. I'm sure a lot of you would be sad to leave Mrs Sharon for the grade 11 students but I promise you I'll try my best to make learning chemistry as enjoyable as our friend over there finds her coffee."

It takes five seconds for that to sink in, though the sharp sting I feel on my rear helps.

"I take it you like whipped cream. I'm a big fan of sweets too. What's your name?"

This is one of the moments I am thankful for my inability to blush. Clammy hands I can hide, a blush, not so much.

I put on my impassive face, perfected after years of training and perform a mini dance in my head at the steady voice that hides my mortification.

Damned whipped cream.

"Tequila Wilson." Once that is out the way, I subtly lick my creamy moustache off.

"Unique name. I've heard of you. You won the Junior science championship."

Since it was not a question, I nod and give my nails all my attention. Himari would resort to dragging me by the hair to get a manicure if she sees the state they are in.

"Okay then class, today we'll start with introductions. Any volunteers? Miss Wilson has opened the floor."

"I'm Georgette Sylvester. Daughter of the famous Sylvester Peterson of Sylvester and Co automobile industries. I am delighted to be back here after a year of traveling the world. I'm sure you've heard all about me though."

"I'm sure nobody cares." Himari deadpans.

I'm sure the whole class let out a sigh of frustration.

This girl.

She is obviously trying to outdo me since I began. I take a good look at her and notice the changes.

One obvious change is how she fits into her height. She is not tall and lanky, neither does she have that awkward slouch I had always tried to get her to straighten.

Her platinum blonde hair frames her heart shaped face like a beautiful silver waterfall. It is quite possibly the only natural thing she adores about herself.

It is her eyes, for me. Splendidly vivid blue eyes that seem to be looking into your soul at every glance.

Her lips are set in a pout, obviously to draw attention to their nature; full and pink.

Fuchsia wool top tucked into white shorts, completed with cute white sneakers complement her slender shape and flawless skin.

"Yes. I have heard of you. You are the girl who made her bodyguard hit a nine year old for running into you." Dave's words pull me out of my reverie and a brow shoots up. Teachers are kept in the loop then.

Her nostrils flare and for a second, her porcelain face contorts into a snarl. She schools it immediately and pinches her lips into an almost-thin line since they are too big to be pinched into a perfect line.

Dave watches the spectacle with such unveiled amusement that the corners of my lips curl up. He gets my stamp of approval.

"Not only was he nice to you, he also dissed queen bitch in the same minute. I like him." Himari whispers as others start to introduce themselves.

Everyone follows Georgette's example and give their name with a short autobiography.

Himari straightens once everyone is done. She wants to be the last so she'll leave a lasting impression. Also because I was first.

"It's only fair I close it up since you were the first!" She had scolded me when I told her not to wait for last. Always the drama queen.

"Himari Aoki. Japanese beauty, basketball player, lover of cats and cakes, Lee Min Ho's secret wife and fashion extraordinaire."

I squint at the dazzling smile she flashes that no doubt is disarming a number of the male population.

Note to self, ask Himari if she fixed her teeth in summer.

Her butt barely touches the seat when she pops up like a Jack-in-the-box.

"And of course, I'm the unfortunate soul who has to put up with the smelly coffee addict next to me, just so I can say I am friends with our school's basketball captain. I'm Killer's best friend."

Dave and a few students chuckle at her theatrics while I settle for pinching her the moment her butt plants itself firmly in her seat.

Payback is sweet.

I look up to Dave's exaggerated wink and do what I do best; roll my eyes.

A loud squeak makes everyone cringe and I am not even surprised to see Aaron standing in front of the doors. Of course he'll make such an entrance on the first day of school.

"These doors need to be changed. What do they think we are in this school? Midgets?" I shout eureka in my head. My thoughts exactly.

"You are late. What's your name?" Dave says, ignoring Aaron's words.

"Aaron Fletcher. I have a tardy slip."

His eyes take in the only empty seats in the class. One next to a simpering Georgette, and the other next to me.

I grab Himari's huge bag and dump it on the seat beside me the moment comprehension dawns.

Without more ado, the idiot walks up to me and pushes the bag to the floor getting a harrumph from Himari.

"Rude much? The seat was occupied. Sit somewhere else." I snap, my good mood as fleeting as time.

"It was, now it isn't. Hi Mary." He chirps, very aware she hates the name.

Himari doesn't mind being called Hima or Ari but Mary is almost a cuss word to her. The moment he realized she abhors the name, he stuck to it.

He doesn't know why she hates it so much, though I am certain even if he did, he would not care.

Her evil step mother is the famous Mary Aoki, a fashion designer and the co-owner of Aoki Prime. That woman is a perfectionist who thinks Himari can do better at everything; breathing included. I can't stand a day with her.

"Hi, Ron Weasley." She purrs, earning a glare from Aaron. The name bothers him so much and Himari loves his reaction to it so she's called him that since she became my friend.

It has no significance. She was just hunting for a nickname for him when she decided to cut the A's from his name. The Weasley came about immediately.

"Rapunzel, tell your hound to back off." He snarls as he rudely takes my textbook and opens a random page.

I don't necessarily hate the nickname Rapunzel but I cannot stand the way he sneers it.

"No, Batman. Do it yourself." I watch his knuckles turn white as he fists his empty hands. With my book safely back on my desk, I look up at Dave scribbling our course outline on the board. That explains the noisy class.

"I'm not in the mood. Stop."

Normally, I would ignore the warning in his voice and hit him, but I hear something else in it. Desperation and weariness. As much as I want to deck him over the head, I decide not to push him.

The fact that he has been pointedly ignoring Georgette, coupled with their less-than-ideal history, I put two and two together and conclude she is the reason for his headache.

That girl sure is a pest. She comes back and everyone goes into a slump.

"It's your fault I'm not being civil. Shut your trap and I'll ignore you like always." I won't push him but I never said anything about letting him have the last word.

The name Batman has a story. At ten years old, Aaron was petrified of clowns and obsessed with Superman. So it was no surprise his eleventh birthday was Superman-themed.

He wore his cute superman outfit and was having fun with all of us when a clown performing for the party next door decided to surprise the 'cute superhero neighbours'.

Our little superman took one look at the smiling clown and screamed like a banshee while digging his nails into my arm. I still have the scar.

When everything was sorted and the clown was far away from the house, he released me as someone from the crowd shouted, "Superman peed in his pants!"

Before anything could follow the boy's claim, Aaron shouted like the hounds of hell were snapping at his heels.

"I'm Batman, not Superman!"

Apparently, he thought protecting Superman's reputation was the best course of action. Oh Aaron.

I never get tired of explaining why I call him Batman to people who ask when they see his reaction to the name. Some things are just gold.

"I need to see you after school."

My chair squeaks a little with my jump.

"What?" That came out of the blue.

"I need to see you after school. Alone. Send Himari home." He repeats and leans back like he has not just confused me to hell and back.

Why does he want to see me? I hate that he knows how curious I can get but nod and make sure we don't speak for the rest of the introductory class.