It was hard not to notice Charlie Baker on his first day at Evanston High, especially with his very vintage OldsMobile he arrives in, earning a few mean remarks from the popular kids. You felt bad for him immediately, but he looked like he could take care of himself and plus you weren't in a place to stand up for him as much as you wanted to since you weren't apart of the popular crowd. In fact, you were pretty much in the same boat as him despite not being a new kid like him.

That should say enough about your social status at Evanston High.

Not that you ever cared about it. You were more eager about college than high school anyway. The other students here were just doofuses to you, especially the ones who think they can pick on new kids like Charlie and his sister.

You even heard about how Coach Bricker was a bit of a dick to him when he was signing up for football. Yeah, the teachers here suck too... You couldn't imagine how homesick the boy must've been at this point.

And he was unbelievably homesick. Charlie could not hate his new life anymore than he did right now. His mom was out of town, his dad had been nothing, but stuck in his work and ignoring Charlie and his siblings, and he missed Beth, his girlfriend. Plus the football totally sucked! He was demoted to cornerback out of spite and each time he was in the locker room, the other guys were always mocking or playing some kind prank on him.

Storming off the school football field, Charlie felt like he was always being benched in what was once his favorite sport, even during practice. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, hating the school jersey he was wearing because one of the guys stole his shirt and hid it from him in the locker room.

He was so ready to head back home, not caring if he was going to kicked from the team.

But then he spotted you. Spending your lunch break under the bleachers, away from the cliques and lousy teachers. He knows you. He's seen you staring at him a few times during class or in the halls.