I awoke to "Treasure by Bruno Mars," the word 'remember' echoing in my brain. Remember what? I sifted through my thoughts for some piece of information that could help me 'remember; whatever it is that I forgot, but nothing jumped to the surface. I growled in frustration and sank my face into my pillow wishing for another half hour of sleep. My wish didn't come through, so I pulled myself out of bed and into the hallway, emitting a sigh of exasperation upon finding the door locked, Jasmine taking up residence in the bathroom. I rapped the door with my knuckles, letting her know that I was up and wished to use the bathroom. She yelled "I'll be right out" and I went back to my room, sliding open the door of my closet to browse my selection. Tucked away in the corner I found a wool burgundy mini skirt that my aunt had bought me for my last birthday. I searched around some more and located a black three-quarter sleeve cropped sweater with the words "Live and let live" written across the front in big and bold black letters to go with the skirt. Then looking down at the ground I spotted my short, chunky, black boots that I had purchased a few months ago.

I heard a click in the hallway and when I leaned my head out I saw that my sister had relinquished her claim on the bathroom and I was free to use it. I quickly gathered my things and scuttled to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I did my morning routine, making sure I cleaned out my brush before setting it down on the counter, twisting my hair up into the messy bun that was popular. Turning my head left to right I chuckled because it looked good. I had perfected the messy bun!

I quickly changed out of my t-shirt and shorts and put on the mini skirt and sweater, smoothing it down with my hands. Rotating in front of the mirror I smiled. I looked hot! I had never really cared too much about my appearance before, but now that I was actually making an effort and there was a boy on my mind, I looked good, really, really good! I decided that a pair of black tights would complete the outfit and I slid my feet into them lacing up my boots tightly over them.

I heard pots and banging downstairs and I scooped up my backpack from beside my door and walked down the stairs. When I turned the corner into the kitchen my mom turned and dropped the spoon she was mixing the eggs with and covered her mouth. My sister, in the middle of shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth, also stopped and gaped at me. I blushed and ducked my head self-consciously. I sat down in front of Jasmine, and they finally unfroze.

"Wow honey, you look great," my mom exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Wha ...? Wow . . . I can't believe I'm saying this, but you actually look pretty good! What's the occasion?" Jasmine asked.

"Uh . . . it's nothing, really. I use haven't worn anything cute in a while."

"More like never." Jasmine snorted.

"That's enough Jasmine. She always looks great." Mom said, a sparkle in her eye.

"Thanks, mom," I said, another blush covering my face. I quickly scooped eggs in my mouth just in case they decided to ask me any more questions.

They didn't so I finished off my food and orange juice and placed my plate and cup in the sink for my mom. She surprised me by giving me a warm bear hug and on my way to school, not even my sister's whining could wipe the smile off my face. At my locker, I was met by Essie who gasped when she saw me.

"Cassie, is that you?" She turned me around and cast an appreciative eye at my outfit.

"Yup, it's me. I look that good, huh? I feel a little weird," I said tugging at the hem of my skirt.

She shoved my hand away and gave me a hug.

"You look banging girl. You should wear stuff like this more often. It does wonders for your body. But does this have anything to with the new guy." She winked and a sly smile on her face.

"No...I just wanted to try something different."

"Uh huh. Well, I think he'll like it...a lot." She laughed as an uncomfortable blush spread across my face. I didn't say anything, but inside my butterflies were in an uproar. I gathered my books from my locker, taking a moment to slow my heartbeat before joining Essie on her walk to class.

I got several looks as I walked down the hallway, but I tried to ignore the stares and whispers, choosing instead to look straight ahead. Today I had Pre-Cal first so Essie and I parted ways at the end of the hallway. She went left and I went right. Passing by a line of lockers I heard a group of girls whispering about Enzo and I rolled my eyes, an uncomfortable feeling of jealousy rising up inside me. I walked faster until I was out of range and arrived in front of the Pre-Cal room door. I opened it and entered the classroom, slowly closing the door behind me so it shut with a quiet click. I spotted Adrian in the back and took the seat to his left. He stared at me for a long moment before smiling wide and leaning in toward me.

"You look different today. It looks good."

"Uh thanks," I replied squirming under his intense stare.

"Yeah, no problem," he said finally turning to look at the front of the classroom where Mrs. Grant was getting ready to start. I also redirected my attention to the front of the room as she started taking roll.

"Mr. Chaves?" Adrian said "here" and she nodded at him. She continued down the list until she finished and she set the roster down on the desk and turned toward the board where she had written and equation.

"Class, you have five minutes to do the problem on the board."

I sighed and picked up a pencil, writing down numbers until I was sure I had gotten it right.

"Your five minutes are up. I hope that you all finished the problem. Mrs. Washington, can you please come up and show us how you got your answer?"

I reluctantly stood and grabbed my paper, making my way to the front of the room. My hand shook slightly as I wrote down my mathematical process and when I finished I laid the marker back in its holder and returned to my seat. Adrian turned and offered me a "good job" and a smile when I sat down.

"Does everyone agree with the answer on the board?" Mrs. Grant asked looking around the classroom. Everyone nodded in agreement and she smiled at me.

"Good job Mrs. Washington." I gave her a tentative smile back and breathed a sigh of relief.