It was her first day of the last year of high school. Pam Beesley was excited to finish school and go to college. She threw her books haphazardly into her bag that morning before her football-player boyfriend picked her up.
    “Another turtle neck Pammy?” He pressed his lips roughly against her cheek as she slid smoothly into the car. “Can’t you wear something just a little bit sexier?”
    “I think it looks nice Roy,” she turned to face the window, tugging at her turtle neck self-consciously. Roy didn’t respond. Pam didn’t expect him to.

The ride to school was short and the music usually made up for lack of conversation. This morning they listened to Pink Floyd, Roy’s new favorite band. Pam wasn’t really paying attention to the music. She was too busy reassuring herself that she loved Roy.
    When they pulled into the school Roy parked in his usually spot. It was always left empty for the Captain of the football team. He grabbed his bag from Pam’s feet, kissed her cheek again and hopped out of the car to greet Daryll.
    “Later babe,” Roy waved to her as he walked into the school, leaving her to walk in alone. He wasn’t going to be winning Best Boyfriend of the Year anytime soon.
    Pam sighed, alone again, and slid out of the car. She threw her old canvas bag over her shoulder and walked into the school, alone again. She stopped by the front office to get a schedule and headed off to her first class. She grumbled as she walked into the math room. Pam had no interest in doing math first thing in the morning. She scanned her schedule as she walked to the back of the room, walking blindly to her usual spot. She threw her bag to the floor and attempted to sit down but instead of the hard wood of the chair, she was met with a pair of warm jeans.
    “Oh!” She jumped up quickly as soon as she realized that someone was in the seat. The boy laughed, his laughter making his brown scruffy hair shake. “I’m so sorry, I kind of spaced out there.”
    “Don’t worry about it, welcome back to earth.” He smiled at her, his eyes shining.
    “I’m just so used to sitting in this seat I guess I never thought that someone else would take it.” She picked her bag up and sat in the seat to his right. “I’m Pam.” She extended a small hand rather awkwardly to him, hoping to elicit a handshake.
    “Jim, it’s my first day.” He took her hand and shook it firmly. “Is it tradition at this school for a pretty girl to give a lap dance to the new boy? If so, I think I like it here already.” He winked.
    “Yeah, we used to have costumes but we lost funding so we just dance in our regular clothes now.” She smiled. There was something so easy about this boy that she just couldn’t pinpoint. Before he could respond the teacher entered the room and started the lesson.

    “Hey Pam!” Jim caught up with her as she was leaving the math room. “Do you want to have lunch with me today? You know, show the new kid the ropes?” He adjusted his bag on his shoulder.
    “Sure, I usually sit near the back window, if you want to meet me there?” She smiled as he nodded and she skipped off.
    First day at a new school and Jim Halpert knew he was doomed. How in the hell was he supposed to learn anything about calculus or trigonometry with an angel sitting right beside him? And how had he gotten so lucky that not only was she beautiful, funny, smart, charming, the list goes on, but she had agreed to have lunch with him? He smiled as he headed off to drama.

Chapter 2

    “Jim! Here!” Pam extended a skinny, sweater covered arm over the throngs of high school students and waved to Jim who had entered the lunch room looking hopelessly lost. Jim flashed her a smile and walked towards her. Before he could get to her someone jumped up in his path, all smiles and red hair.
    “Hiya! Are you like new here?” The girl smiled broadly at him as he nodded. “Well I’m Katy and I think you should come sit with me.” She grabbed his forearm and dragged him towards a table, away from Pam. He threw Pam a confused look.
    “Actually, I’m meeting someone for lunch.” He regained his strength and stopped her dragging him. She turned to him, still smiling.
    “Okay, that’s cool I guess, here’s my number!” She pulled a pink pen off her tray and scribbled her phone number roughly on Jim’s arm, scratching the skin. “Call me,” she winked and threw herself into a chair and a conversation. Jim shook it off and resumed his way towards Pam.

“Wow, Hot-Stuff Halpert. You’re not even in the school 3 hours and you have the head cheerleader’s number.” Pam giggled as she noticed the pink pen on his arm. He laughed with her. He wished it were her number.
    “What can I say? When you got it, flaunt it!” He shrugged and bit into his sandwich. Pam laughed again. Her laugh was like a beautiful symphony to his ears. Before he could say something else to make her laugh she was yelling across the crowd.
    “Roy! Roy!” She waved towards a group of guys standing with the cheerleaders. One forced a smile and made his way over.
    “Hey babe,” Roy squeezed her shoulder. Jim froze. Babe?
    “Roy, this is Jim Halpert, he’s new. Jim, this is Roy, my boyfriend.” Pam looked between the two boys as they shook hands.
    “Halpert, welcome to Scranton. I’m gonna skip last period to go out with the guys, can you find a way home?” Roy made a feeble attempt at puppy dog eyes.
    “I don’t mind driving you,” Jim offered.
    “Great, see you Pammy!” Roy was half-way across the hall before Pam could say anything.
    “You don’t mind taking me home?” Pam sighed to Jim. He shook his head.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he smiled to himself. Roy seemed like a jerk and if he could win Pam’s affection, he didn’t mind driving her to California. But something was biting in the back of his mind. How had he not guessed that a beautiful, funny, smart girl like Pam would had a boyfriend? He should have known it was too good to be true.
    “Alright Halpert, I’ll meet you outside after school, and thanks again.” She stood and left to go to class. Jim watched her go. There was something poetic about the way she shuffled along, alone, invisible to almost everyone else. They had no idea what they were missing.

“Promise you won’t freak out,” Jim bumped shoulders with Pam on their way to his car.
    “What?! Why?!” Pam was all of a sudden nervous.
    “Well this is a Jeep Pam.” Jim stopped at a baby blue car and opened the door for her in one swift motion. Pam smiled, Roy never opened the door anymore. Where had this new boy come from?
    Jim got in the car and started it up. The engine was quickly drowned out by the radio, which was playing The Hush Sound. Pam smiled again, she loved this song.
    “So Roy?” Jim asked. He left the question open ended so that Pam could interpret it as she liked.
    “He really is a good guy deep down,” Pam muttered almost angrily. She didn’t know if she was trying to convince herself or Jim.
    “Yeah, he seems cool.” Jim said flatly, obviously kidding. “Hey, do you need to go home right away because I have this movie I kinda wanna watch and I think you need to see it.” Jim crossed his fingers on the steering wheel, hopping Pam wouldn’t notice.
    “Yeah, I have no homework so I wouldn’t mind.” Pam felt her heart beating faster. “What movie?”
    “Don’t laugh Beesley, but I hear that The Holiday is a really good movie, romantic comedy of the season apparently, so I rented it and I think I need to watch it tonight.” Jim laughed to himself as he said this.
    “I really wanted to see that! But Roy insisted that we see some superhero movie instead. I’m so in Halpert, but don’t laugh if I cry, I’m a total girl when it comes to love stories.” She touched his shoulder lightly, subconsciously as they laughed.
    “Onwards then Beesley!” He turned onto his street.

    “Oh, that was such a cute movie,” Pam was resting on her elbows on Jim’s living room floor. Her hair was falling around her face as she wiped away a tear from her cheek.
    “Beesley, did you cry in the movie?” Jim laughed quietly at her. She laughed too, it made his head spin.
    “It was cute! I’m a girl, leave me alone Halpert.” She swatted his arm playfully. She went in for another swat but he grabbed her hand. She stopped giggling and froze. There was electricity running through her body. She pulled her hand away and forced a laugh.
    “It’s getting late,” she sighed.
    “I’ll drive you home.” Jim picked her sweater off the floor and helped her into it.
    “Thank you for making me smile,” Pam almost whispered.
    “Anytime,” and Jim meant it.

Panic! At the disco was playing through Jim’s car speakers when he picked her up the next day. Roy had stayed out late, got hammered and was sleeping it off during first period so she had called Jim sheepishly just before he left. Of course he had raced over to get her.
    “So, there’s this party…” Pam started slowly. “It’d be a great way for you to get to know people. It’s on Friday night, you in?”
    “Sure,” Jim knew not to get his hopes up. She was going with Roy and she was inviting him as an outside party. But something inside said this night would be different.
    
    School dragged on slowly. Jim received a verbal warning from Dwight for being late for English and had to eat alone when Pam went out with Roy. He instead spent the hour thinking of ways to make Dwight miserable.

    Last period math was usually Jim’s least favorite thing in the whole wide world. He used to believe he would rather eat every text book in the school than have math last period but today was different.
    “Pam! I have the greatest idea… are you alright?” Pam was sitting in her usual spot at the back of the room but Jim had noticed the bruise on her wrist immediately.
    “Yeah, it’s nothing, car door, what’s up?” She forced a smile. Jim knew it wasn’t nothing.
    “Did Roy do that?” He brushed his fingers along her wrist softly, trying to wish her pain away.
    “It was an accident, what’s up?” She repeated herself more forcefully this time.
    “I have the greatest idea! Do you know where Dwight’s locker is?” He smiled mischievously.

    When Dwight turned the corner, he heard the snickers. He ignored them. They were simply distractions from his duties as…
    “Jim!” Dwight yelled. His locker was covered from top to bottom in butter. When he finally managed to get in to his locker, his keys and hall pass were sitting nicely in an orb of green jello.