Best Days of Our Lives

By Kawaii_Cherry_Blossom

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Hi guys! I'm soooooooo so so so so sorry about the delay with this chapter. It's been so hard to find time to write lately, and I had a bit of writers block for a while. But I'm FINALLY back with chapter 2 of BDOOL! Yay! :D

But firstly…this is for dhasf (if that is your name, since you didn't really leave one…) or the person (you know who you are) who left me some reviews the other day:

Frankly, I am unimpressed with the way you have labelled me as a bad writer through your reviews. Normally I wouldn't mind, as everyone has their own opinion, but the way you put it really annoyed me. Perhaps you should get your facts straight before you go out and try to destroy somebody's self-confidence like that. The stories that you reviewed, I was about 13 when I wrote them (except 'His Father's Eyes'). Now I don't know how mature you were at that age, but I certainly wasn't mature at all. I wrote those stories for fun, because I liked to write. The details of the plot lines weren't important to me. I didn't know the progression of leukaemia or how love worked. I was barely a teenager for goodness sakes. I'd never been in those situations, and I didn't have time to go and research everything. It's not like I'm writing for money, it's for personal enjoyment, so why does it matter? Also, you criticise me for spelling Rudy's name wrong? Well I'm sorry that I had never seen his name spelled anywhere else and I thought it was spelled that way. I suppose you go and criticise every writer who spells Jessie's name 'Jesse' too? That's pathetic. I'm not sure how you could have expected a 13-year-old to be a perfect writer and get every detail of a fanfiction right (or even care about that), but perhaps you're the one who's unrealistic. And okay, yes, my ideas are cliché's, but that's what I like to write. It's my style and you're entitled to your own opinion, but next time, don't go and criticise me because of it.

NOTES:

The song 'Hope', which Destinee sings in this chapter is copyrighted to me, Kawaii_Cherry_Blossom. I will not hesitate to seek legal action against you if you reproduce it in any way. Thank you.

Thank you for your reviews everyone. :) Oh, and thanks to Zelinko for the advice on how to spell that characters' names. I'm sorry I got a few wrong, hehe. Oh, but I am sticking with the name Captra instead of Quatre, because that's the name that was in the dub that I saw, so I'm more comfortable with it. Thank you again and I hope you keep reading.

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Chapter 2

Hope

Mina adjusted the bow in her hair as she chatted to Lita, while they were awaiting their teacher's entrance into the classroom. The buzz around them was fresh, just like it always is on the first day of school for the year.

"It's pretty sad to think that this is the first time we'll ever experience a first day of school, don't you think Lita?"

"Yeah, that is kinda sad. But at least we'll be on to better things", Lita replied.

"True."

"Hi guys", Raye said as she sat down next to Mina.

The two girls smiled and both said a cheerful hello, noticing that Raye seemed to be a little preoccupied, glancing around as she sat there.

"Is something wrong, Raye?" Lita asked.

Raye whipped her head back around, "Huh? No, nothing is wrong! I just want to talk to you, Mina, about the band."

"Sure, go ahead!"

"Well I was thinking that we could organise a year 12 dance, just so we can kick off the year with some fun! It can be our first gig for the year, and we can raise money to get new equipment for the band", Raye explained.

"Hey, that's a great idea! We should definitely do it. We can hold a meeting about it with all of the band members one lunchtime this week", Mina replied, excited about the proposal.

"Great! I'll organise it."

"Do you think Gary will want to be our guitar player again?" Raye said hesitantly.

"Yeah, he probably will. I spoke to Duo over the holidays, and he said that he'd be happy to continue as our drummer. But Duplica doesn't want to be keyboardist again because she wants to concentrate on her studies…" Mina explained.

"Well that's okay, I can play the keyboard and be backup singer at the same time, and you and Destinee can be the lead singers. Is that okay with you?"

"Sounds good!"

"Great, well I'll set up a meeting. Thanks, Mina", Raye said as she smiled and walked off, feeling eyes on her as she walked back to her desk and sat down.

"So you have no idea what could be wrong with her?" Destinee asked Ash as they chose their homeroom desks.

Ash sighed, becoming increasingly worried about Misty. "No… She seemed to be fine in the holidays…although I must admit, in the last week she seemed to become a bit distant…"

"I noticed that too, but I thought she was just nervous because of school."

Ash nodded, "Me too."

"Well…maybe we're overreacting. Maybe that's exactly what it is."

"No, Dest, it's not. It's something else…something bad…"

Destinee looked down at her desk. "Yeah… Misty's always been one to hide her feelings but she's never shut us out completely like this."

Ash nodded again, unable to find any words.

"But whatever it is, we have to somehow let her know that we're here for her whatever is going on. If she wants to keep to herself, we can't change that, so that's really all we can do. We have to respect her privacy, after all."

"I agree. I just hope she's okay…"

Trowa always chose the desk in the far back corner of the classroom. In fact, by now, just about the whole of year 12 knew that that desk was his. He liked it because he was out of view by most everyone, and he could keep an eye on the whole class. Trowa liked to be in control. It was a feeling that he seldom felt but often longed for. Control over his life. Control over himself. Control over his destiny 'If only…' Trowa thought solemnly. Glancing around the classroom, he noticed Destinee and Ash having what seemed to be a serious conversation. Sometimes he wished he had a friendship like theirs. It had always been Ash, Misty and Destinee. A lot of people envied their friendship because the three of them were incredibly close. Trowa found himself looking at Destinee, though he could only see the back of her. There was something about her that drew him in. Light seemed to radiate from her, as if she was glowing. His cheeks suddenly turned a light pink as Destinee turned around to face him from her desk and said hello, smiling.

He looked down, half embarrassed and half shy. "H…hello…" he managed to mutter out, looking down at his desk. When he looked back up at him, Destinee was still smiling. He smiled back at her softly and nervously, and she turned to say hello to the other classroom members. Trowa could feel his cheeks burning. 'What is this…?' he asked himself, confused.

"Are you okay, Misty?"

Misty used the fact that their teacher was walking into the room as a distraction, turning away and pretending that she hadn't heard Sakura's question.

"Good morning class", Mrs. Mackenzie said. She was a nice teacher, always willing to help out in any way, and she was very kind to everyone.

A few 'good mornings' could be heard from various parts of the classroom. Mrs. Mackenzie looked up and smiled. "I'll take it that you're all very excited to be beginning a new school year then!" she said sarcastically, cocking her head to the side and laughing softly. Looking to the morning bulletin in her hands, she announced that the first item on the agenda was a full school assembly to announce the student leaders for 2004. A wave of excitement swept through the air as the announcement of the student leaders was mentioned.

"Well, let's not sit around and talk about it, let's go!" Mrs. Mackenzie said enthusiastically as she ushered her class out of their seats and out the door.

"Misty?" Sakura asked once more. She swore it was the fifth time she'd called her name, but she wasn't about to give up.

Misty, on the other hand, had given up, on trying to ignore Sakura. "What?" she asked, not even trying to conceal her annoyance.

For a moment, Sakura looked taken aback, but she went on. "Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You just…don't look okay… What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is just perfect." Misty snapped and sped up her walking to avoid an increasingly worried Sakura.

"Oh my gosh, just look at that shirt! That is like, something I wore back in the fourth grade!" Jessibelle remarked, flicking her long, red trusses behind her back.

James rolled his eyes, both at Jessibelle, and at Butch and Meilin, who found Jessibelle's remark funny.

"What's the matter, Jim? You're not turning softie on us are you?" Butch asked, half in amusement.

James stared ahead and wondered why he'd sat next to them for the assembly. He didn't know why, but his friends' attitudes were bothering him to the point where he couldn't stand to be near them. What had changed? He didn't know.

'Maybe I grew up', he thought sarcastically.

"Bitch…" Jessibelle pouted at Misty as she pushed past her to get to a seat.

James sighed. It was going to be a long day… And a long, long year…

"Ash! Destinee! Wait!" Sakura called out, running over towards her two friends.

"Sakura, hey!" Destinee hugged her. Destinee was famous for hugging everyone.

Ash smiled at Sakura, who could tell that there was something on his mind, because his eyes didn't reflect their usual sparkle.

"Worried about Misty?" Sakura asked him, as they resumed walking to the auditorium.
"Yeah…" Ash muttered. "I've never seen her like this…"

"I talked to her before…" Sakura said.

"Yeah?" Destinee asked, interested.

"Well…I tried to…"

"Oh…" Destinee looked disappointed.

"What did she say?" Ash asked.

"Well, she said that nothing is wrong and everything is perfect, and then she totally blew me off and walked ahead."

Ash nodded. "That's what she did to me…"

"Guys, let's just be strong for her, okay? That's all we can do, really. If we push her, she'll just push us further away."

Sakura and Ash agreed, knowing that Destinee made sense. As they arrived at the auditorium, Ash scouted the room for Misty, and found her sitting in a corner on her own.

"Let's go sit with her, even if she doesn't want us there", Ash said.

"Yeah, let's. You have to sit up the front for your performance, don't you Destinee?" Sakura asked her friend.

"That's right. But you two go ahead and sit with Misty. I think she needs to know that we're here for her."

"Welcome, students, to the welcoming ceremony for the year 2004", said the school's principal, Mr. Hummingbird. He was a tall, stocky man, with the type of personality that made you want to smile all the time, although his jokes weren't funny. You just had to smile and nod. "This is a new year that will bring new challenges, surprises and accomplishments for us all. I proclaim that we all do our best to make this year one of the best possible, following our school motto for this year: 'Keep hope in your heart'. I'd especially like to welcome our year 12 students, who will graduate this year, leaving behind them a firm foundation for their futures. Well…hopefully", he joked light-heartedly. A light wave of laughter was heard throughout the crowd of students and teachers.

He continued. "The main reason we have come together this morning is to announce the student leaders for 2004. As you know, each year we select a few of our senior students, who we as staff feel are best suited to representing this school in a number of areas. Today, I will announce the students who will take over the role of social justice representative, student council representative, performing arts representative, and of course, the school captain and deputy."

A wave of excitement drifted through the air at this announcement, each student wondering who would be awarded each role.

"Firstly, I would like to invite our deputy, Mrs. Pamara, to hand out the badges to each leader as I announce them", he spoke, as Mrs. Pamara, a middle-aged, slim and stern-looking woman approached the stage.

The student body was hyped up, each student eager to find out who their leaders would be. Or perhaps they were just keen to start gossiping. Either way, Mr. Hummingbird finally began the announcements.

"Social justice plays a great part in our school community. Our social justice teams are forever planning one fundraiser after another to raise money for a number of organisations. There has been one student who has always displayed a particular enthusiasm for social justice. She has been part of the team for a number of years now, and has rarely skipped meetings or events. In addition, she has a positive attitude and friendly nature, great for encouraging people to be involved in events. For this reason, I would like to award the position of social justice representative to…" he paused for a moment, increasing the suspense of the moment, before he began again. "Sakura Avalon".

A cheer arose from the student body as Sakura jumped up excitedly, hugging Ash, Serena, Lita and Mina, who sat next to her. With a broad smile on her face, she made her way down the makeshift aisle, clapping high-fives with friends on the way. Sakura was and always had been quite the popular girl. When she arrived on stage, she shook Mr. Hummingbird and Mrs. Pamara's hands, took her badge, and stood to the other side of the stage, beaming.

Mr. Hummingbird began to speak again, before the clapping and cheering got out of hand.

"Thank you Sakura", he said as he smiled towards her. "Our next position is student council president", he spoke, glancing around the gymnasium. "The person selected for this position is responsible and mature, two qualities needed for a leadership role. He has been part of the student council before, displaying to us his determination and passion for making things better. It is my pleasure to award this position to Darien Chiba."

Applause arose once more as Darien stood up, a pleased look on his face, and walked to the stage to accept his badge, before walking over and standing next to Sakura.

"Just as we need a SRC president, we also need a vice-president", Mr. Hummingbird spoke over the applause, causing it to fade almost instantly.

"The person selected for the role of vice-captain has a bright personality, and is a born leader. This year's SRC vice-captain is Captra Raberba-Winner."

Captra looked shocked as his friends slapped him on the back, and walked to the front to accept his award. He certainly had not expected to be given this title, but nonetheless, was extremely pleased about it. Accepting his badge, he graciously walked to Darien and Sakura, shaking hands with Darien and hugging Sakura.

Once again, the applause died down as Mr. Hummingbird began to announce the next student leader.

"The position of performing arts representative is a very important one, especially because the arts are a major part of this school's extra-curricular activities. We had no doubt choosing this person as the representative. Her bright, bubbly attitude, leadership qualities, and the fact that she has been in just about every play, choir and dance group since she began here at the school, made her the perfect choice. I think we all know that Destinee Summers is our performing arts representative for 2004."

A huge smile enveloped Destinee's face as she jumped up and walked energetically to the front of the gym. Accepting her badge, she just about bounced across the stage, hugging Darien, Sakura and Captra. The school-body was more than pleased with the result, and applauded loudly in response.

"Now…" Mr. Hummingbird said loudly, commanding the attention of each and every student. "Finally, it is time to announce our school captain and deputies. These students were chosen based on their commitment to the school, leadership qualities, and focus towards their education and their former students. I won't keep you in suspense any longer…" Mr. Hummingbird said, grinning. "Our deputy captains for this year are Gohan Son and Videl Satan."

A loud applause arose from the students, while both Gohan and Videl were in shock over the announcement. Both walked up to accept their badges of office, smiling at each other as they met on stage. Videl blushed slightly as she looked into Gohan's eyes. 'Have I ever noticed how handsome he is…?' she asked herself, before quickly brushing the thought away, replacing her blush with a smile.

"I would now like to ask our school captain to step forward and give her first speech for the year. This student is one who has amazed us time after time with her work ethic, determination to make the school a better place and her amazing leadership qualities. Relena Peacecraft, would you please step forward…"

Standing up, an inevitable smile replaced the nervous look on Relena's face. She beamed as she made her way to the front of the gym. Ever since she was smart enough to know what a school captain was, she had dreamed of becoming one. Arriving at the front, she shook Mr. Hummingbird and Mrs. Pamara's hands and took her badge, before taking her place in front of the microphone to deliver her speech, a serious smile now present on her face.

"Good morning students, and thank you for selecting me as your school captain for this year. It is my pleasure to represent our school, and work with both the staff and the students to make sure that everybody is happy, because a happy environment is the most important factor in a school community. Hugh Downs said "A happy person is not a person in a certain set of circumstances, but rather a person with a certain set of attitudes". And this is true. This year, let us look on the positive side of life. Let's not dwell on the stress or the bad relationships, or the gossip or the grades that you just can't accept. Instead, let's learn from each experience, and most importantly, have hope", Relena paused as to let this sink in. "Good luck and thank you to you all", Relena finished her speech. The student body applauded as she stepped away from the microphone and joined her other student leaders, shaking hands and hugging them.

Brushing what almost developed into a tear away, Misty looked down in shame. She had been dwelling on the negative… However, just as she realised this, her negative thoughts invaded her head, causing her to believe that she could get through this alone and that she didn't need anybody. 'Relena's wrong. There's no point in having hope. It'll just hurt you in the end. It'll just make you realise how much you don't have, when you don't get what you hoped for', Misty thought, malice present in her eyes. Misty certainly wasn't getting what she hoped for.

The audience applauded once-more, as Mr. Hummingbird spoke the final words of the morning assembly. "Students of Crossroads High, these are your student leaders. I would like to congratulate them and wish them immense success for the year ahead. I would now like to invite Destinee Summers to come forward and sing a song she wrote herself, entitled 'Hope'.

Applause again filled the room as Destinee stepped forward and the others made their way back to their seats. In turn, Gary stepped up to the front, acoustic guitar in hand, and sat on a seat near Destinee, who smiled at him gratefully.

"Thank you", Destinee spoke softly, smiling at the school community. As the clapping faded, she began. "As Mr. Hummingbird told us at the beginning of this assembly, the school motto for this year is 'keep hope in your heart'. I am a firm believer in hope and its positive impact upon peoples' lives, which is why I wrote this song. Also, I'd like to thank Gary here", she pointed at Gary, "for lending me his guitar skills. Lets all give Gary a hand!" she said energetically as the students whistled and clapped for Gary. He wasn't lacking in the popularity department, that's for sure. To the girls he was hunky and cool, and to the boys he was bad and with attitude, so he was a hit all-round.

Destinee smiled as Gary began her song, strumming his guitar rhythmically to a slow beat.

"You are you, and no one can take that away

Just be yourself, it doesn't matter what they say

They probably won't be there in the end anyway…"

Ash glanced towards Misty for about the hundredth time during the assembly. He was unsure as to whether she had noticed but he didn't care. He'd never been this concerned about anyone. This was so unlike Misty. She was always so…alive. Ash could see something in her eyes that just told him that there was something wrong. But what was it…? 'I'm going to find out…' he told himself as he glanced at her again.

"Inside and out, you're beautiful

Put your heart in your head and be proud of who you are

Find the strength inside to spread your wings and fly

Find the hope inside to touch the sky"

Although trying to avoid it, Raye's eyes kept drifting back over to Gary. 'Would he be a good boyfriend?' she asked herself, and immediately shook her head. 'I could never go out with Gary Oak. Everyone knows he's bad news…' Raye told herself. 'So why can't I stop thinking about him…'

"Someday your dreams will come true

As long as you believe in you

Fly higher than a butterfly ever dared to

All you need is some hope to pull you through…"

"How does that idiot come up with this stuff? It's so…idiotic!" Meilin commented viciously, not even trying to be quiet about it.

"Just like her", Butch agreed.

"Oh well, that's her problem. I've got better things to worry about…" Jessibelle pouted, commanding all of the attention to herself with one simple flick of her hair. James rolled his eyes and focused on Destinee's song. He quite liked it… It was very positive and uplifting.

"Like what, Belle?" Butch asked.

Jessibelle glanced over to Misty, who was sitting a few seats away from her. "Retard over there has been acting like a total bitch to me, and I don't deserve that." James raised an eyebrow as he heard her comment, but decided against commenting.

"I wanna get her back for the annoyance she has caused me, and I have the perfect plan…" she said, snickering at the thought.

Butch and Meilin grinned at the thought. Belle's plans were always 'fun', after all.

"So believe now, and you will take flight

Let the whole world witness your light

They will be amazed by your might"

Trowa found himself caught up in the performance, unable to keep his eyes off of Destinee. He watched as her dark hair glistened in the sunlight streaming in from the windows of the gym. Her eyes were filled with…what was that? He couldn't quite come to a conclusion until he remembered what the song was about. 'Hope…she's filled with hope… Wow… She's…amazing…' Trowa was shocked by his thoughts. 'What am I thinking?' he asked himself as he shook his head of his previous thoughts. 'I have to concentrate on my schoolwork…I don't have any time for relationships… I have no choice…'

"It's you who can finish first

You just have to make a start

You can do anything you've ever dreamed

Just let hope flow through your heart…"

Destinee smiled happily as she finished her song and thanked the students, who clapped loudly. Following instruction, they filed out of the gymnasium and back to their classrooms to begin classes for the year. Hugging Gary and thanking him, Destinee glanced around the busy gym, trying to spot Ash, Misty and Sakura. Sure enough, she saw Misty walking swiftly out the doors, Ash and Sakura following her. She sighed, her eyes turning downcast. 'Misty… What's going on…?' she thought to herself.

To be continued…

What's up with Misty? Will Raye go out with Gary? Does Trowa have a dark secret? And what is Jessibelle planning to do to Misty? All will be revealed in time. :D *hint hint, wink wink* The year 12 dance should be interesting. :P

Btw, if this seems boring so far, I'm really sorry. I'm trying to get all the introductory stuff done, which it is now, so I can get on with the good stuff.

Lots of love and light,

Sarah.