One day down a million more to go...

Aurora couldn't get out of school fast enough. It's not that her first day was bad, she just needed to get some air. She pushed open the doors but was hit with the noise of the city. Oh my, she thought to herself.

Haley was headed out the door when she saw Aurora standing outside looking mortified. She grinned as she walked over to her. "It takes some getting used to. Trust me."

"This is nothing like London. The city had a heart beat." She paused for a second. "This is just noise." She was at least grateful that she had someone to talk to, so she tried to smile.

Haley nodded and shifted her bookbag onto her other shoulder. "Like I said, it takes some getting used to. Where are you headed?"

"I honestly have no idea. I didn't really have anything in mind." She replied looking at the car that drove by.

Haley nodded. "Well, do you want to go grab some coffee with me? Serena's in tutoring and Ben's at practice."

"Sure. Sounds like it could be fun." She smiled as readjusted the bag on her shoulder.

"Cool. Starbucks is just down the street. They'll probably have my drink ready for me." She smiled sheepishly. "Serena and I always go to Starbucks after school unless there's a student government meeting."

"Having something you do all the time isn't a bad thing, sometimes." She added the last word as almost an afterthought. Aurora fell into step next to Haley.

Haley shrugged. "I guess so. So, living in London must have been cool." She smiled. "I always wanted to go there."

At the mention of her home Aurora could feel her heart lift a little. "It was the best place." She felt herself truly smile.

Haley grinned. "Was it like Harry Potter? Did you guys get to wear those awesome uniforms?"

Aurora couldn't help but laugh. "I guess you could say it was something like that."

She grinned. "I love Harry Potter. I cried on my 11th birthday when I didn't get my letter."

Aurora kept laughing. "That is kind of funny."

"I was convinced that my life was over." She laughed. "Then Nate pointed out that we didn't live in England so maybe it got lost."

"That could have been true. There are no Americans in Hogwarts." She said with a smile.

Haley giggled. "Do you speak from experience?" She grinned at her new friend.

"Please..." She said sarcastically. "I got my letter. I just had better things to do. " She grinned wide at her friend.

"Blasphemy!" Haley exclaimed. "If I got my letter, I'd be there yesterday. It sounds like so much fun there."

"Yeah, only when there isn't a mad man running around trying to kill you but other than that not big." Aurora responded in a serious voice.

Haley nodded. "It makes sense. Still, that sounds so much cooler than our classes."

"Maybe it would have been." Aurora said slowly. She couldn't help but think of the letter she had really gotten on her eleventh birthday.

"So, the Kiss on the Lips party is on Friday. Are you going?" Haley asked with a smile. "I hear it's a lot of fun. This is the first year I'm allowed to go. It's a party for juniors and seniors only."

"The what party?" Aurora said confused.