Hello, welcome to this story co-written by TheGoofyCat & CastleRockGirl. It's Katy (TheGoofyCat) here and I have the pleasure of writing the first chapter. Being here for years I've always wanted to do a collab and luckily Megan (CastleRockGirl) did too. So we've come up with this story. Being our first co-write it just had to be about the Cobras! Anyway basic gist of the chapters is I write a chapter in my OC's pov and the next chapter would be Megan's in her OC's pov, so on and so forth.
The girls in the cover art are Amber Heard (Deena) and Jocelin Donahue (Faye). Music inspiration for this story is Misery Business by Paramore and Better Than Revenge by Taylor Swift. Enjoy and maybe review? :D

Business of Misery

Deena

1

Speeding into the school parking lot I skidded into my usual spot. Shifting the gear stick into first the car made an almighty creek. The sound, like nails on a chalkboard, went straight down my spine.

I turned to my friend Beverly and smiled. She had sat on the passenger side and had been clutching at the dashboard the whole drive to school. She finally took her hands off the dashboard to make the sign of the cross. I suspected her mousy brown hair would soon sprout grey; she had never trusted my driving. She told me numerous times that she feared for her life whenever I was behind a wheel. Call me a bad friend but her protests never stopped me from picking her up. Hell, it never stopped her from getting in the car.

"Deena, do you always have to drive so fast?" Bev grumbled. "I'm not the most religious girl, but... even I was saying a prayer when we hit that corner."

"Bevvy," I cooed. "You should know by now that cutting corners is my way around life."

I grabbed my purse from the backseat, popped it open and pulled out my lipstick. Rolling the tube up, I glanced at the rear-view mirror and applied it to my lips until I was fully satisfied with the pink coating. I turned to Bev and pouted. "This shade suits me well, don't you think?"

She smirked at me and shook her head in disbelief, as if she already knew I knew the answer.

Like always, I left the key slotted in the ignition. It was highly unlikely that anyone would ever boost a bright pink Studebaker. And anyway if they did, it would mean I would get a brand new car along with a brand new sob story to use as ammunition when Daddy asked me why I needed such an expensive car to replace the old one.

The March breeze hit the tip of my nose when I stepped out of the car and onto the ground. I quickly missed the comfort of my warm bed, or even the car radiator. I began regretting my choice of sweater, the one I wore was no use at keeping the cold air at bay, but it sure looked good. And what other choice did I have? The thick ghastly sweater my grandmother had knitted me for Christmas? The one that looked more like roadkill on the side of the road than a pullover?

Me and Bev both slammed the car doors shut in perfect timing and walked up the sidewalk and joined the rest of the students heading into the school.

As Bev and I walked up the steps and into school I began to daydream about walking down the same steps hours later, only to be greeted with not the sight of 200 inches of pink steel, but with tire tracks and an empty parking space to go with it.

We walked through the hallway, Bev a step behind, with me leading the way. The hallway was filled with the sound of giggles and gossip as girls chatted to their friends about what they had been up to over the weekend. Going to an all-girls school meant that the students had to be filled with girls not just from Castle Rock but the towns close to the map. Towns like Portland, Chamberlain, or the shit-hole that was Lewiston. But only one girl from Lewiston was enrolled here, and that was because - rumor had it - her mother had screwed the superintendent.

"Another day in hell," I sighed, slumping against Bev's locker and opening mine. I pulled out my lab book. "Can I borrow your notes? Mine seem to have disappeared."

"That's 'cause you never write them down," Bev replied, pushing me aside to get into her locker. "I swear Mr. Bennett let's you get away with it just because you're blonde."

"Hey," I said with a frown, and slammed my locker shut. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"She either means he digs blondes... Or he let's you slack off because blondes aren't known for being smart." I jumped at the voice.

It was the other member of our gang, Annie. I knew it was her, not by the sound of her voice, but by the thick heavy bouffant that shielded the light from my eyes. There wasn't a girl in town who had hair like Annie's.

"Did she just appear out of thin air?" I asked Bev.

"I wish," Annie said, downheartedly. "But this pimple on my cheek is nowhere near thin... I think it weighs about three hundred pounds."

"Here." I snatched this month's Teen magazine out of Bev's locker and shoved it in Annie's hands. "That'll help cover it."

"Very funny," Annie said, rolling her eyes, but she tucked the magazine inside her lab book.

"So," I soothed, turning to Bev. "Since we're lab partners, we need to share notes."

"At least you got a partner," Annie groaned. "Jane still has a fever!"

"Fever!" Bev snorted. "We all know that she caught mono!"

"Well, I'd happily get 'the kissing disease' locking lips with Denny Lachance," I giggled. "What a hunk!"

"You're the worst!" Bev whispered. "You've got a boyfriend!"

"So… It doesn't stop me from admiring those biceps."

Bev and Annie both gave me a look of disapproval before joining in with the swoons and giggles.

Out of chance I glanced to my right and noticed Vice principal - the devil in disguise - Ms. Brown storming down the hall, heading our way.

"Is she checking lockers again?"Bev groaned.

"Yeah... and purses!" Annie replied, clutching her lab book closer to her chest. "I saw her this morning during choir practice. She already checked both your lockers. Bev I think she took your-"

"She didn't check our purses," I snapped. "And I got half a pack of smokes inside mine."

Annie looked at the ground, ashamed that she hadn't warned us as soon as we had stepped inside the school.

"Quick." I pulled out my pack of Lucky Strikes from my purse. "Stash this in your hair!" I shoved the cigarette carton into her hands. Annie's bouffant was big enough to hide the entire county inside.

"I can't! I've already got my lipstick and not to mention the entire choirs…" she trailed before giving in. "Fine!" She tucked the smokes in the back of her hair and began stick some extra bobby pins in the side. "By the end of the day, my do's gonna look like a bird's nest."

"It already does!"

"Does not!"

The three of us watched Ms. Brown search through every passing girl's purse. She confiscated anything deemed the work of the devil, it was mainly make-up and the occasional pack of smokes. We didn't call her Bitch Brown for nothing.

"What do you think she does with it all?"

"Sells it, probably." I shrugged. "How do you think she affords that car we see her driving around in? Cosmetics is a booming business and with the number of products she has inside her desk; she'll be raking it in."

Annie giggled but stopped when Ms. Brown approached us.

"Ladies," she beamed. The candy sweetness of her voice and smile was just enough to turn my stomach. "Open up those purses."

I unwillingly obliged and she took out my tube of lipstick and studied it for a moment before tucking it away in her suit jacket. I silently groaned and cursed myself for not giving it to Annie.

Once she was satisfied with all three of our purses she walked away. I glared at the back of her head and stuck my tongue out, I quickly pulled it back in when she retreated.

"Geraldine," she said, still smiling. "Lengthen your skirt... we wouldn't want to be giving out the wrong impression now, would we?"

My skirt was only an inch above the knee, but way above what this prison ordered.

I sighed, rolling, not just my skirt, but my eyes too.

"And, Annie? Do something with your hair. It looks like a bird has perched on top and made a nest. It's unsightly." Ms. Brown turned her nose up in the air and fluttered down the corridor, we all watched her turn right and disappear into the teacher's lounge.

Annie's cheeks turned the same shade as the confiscated lipstick and she went to fix her hair with her free hand.

"Don't!" I slapped her hand away. "Not unless you want your hair to erupt."

Bev smirked. "I bet she comes to school tomorrow wearing your lipstick."

"Gross!"

"I hate when she calls me Geraldine," I spat in disgust, walking into science class. I was still complaining about the witch that was Ms. Brown from the hallway to the classroom. "It makes my stomach churn. I could kill my folks for calling me that."

Me and Bev claimed our usual spot at the back.

"There's worse names out there, Deena," Annie said. She sat herself on top of mine and Bev's lab counter.

"Oh, yeah," I groaned. "Like what?"

"I dunno... " she trailed. "Polly? Or Frances-"

"Yes?" Frances Davis turned around from the lab in front.

She stared blankly at Annie.

"Can I borrow a pencil?" Annie asked.

Ditsy, or not, the girl was great at thinking fast.

"Don't you have one in your hair?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot." Annie pulled the pencil out from behind her ear. "Thanks!"

Frances rolled her eyes and eventually turned back to face the front.

Mr. Bennett walked into class, a cup of coffee in his hands, and his thick rimmed glasses stuck on the edge of his nose.

"Annie, get to your lab," he ordered.

"But, Sir," Annie groaned. "Jane is still off sick. Can't I partner up with Bev and Deena? I can't do all the work by myself."

I couldn't disagree with her. If Annie had to do an experiment all on her lonesome the whole school would've had to have been evacuated.

"It's your lucky day," Mr. Bennett told her. "We have a new student joining us today."

Everyone in the classroom gasped and gossiped together and poor Annie had no one to gossip to as she made her way to her empty lab counter.

Mr. Bennett began to scribble on the board "Turn to page forty-four."

But nobody turned to page forty-four, all eyes were on the classroom door waiting for the new girl to arrive.

We all watched her like a hawk when she finally walked into class and walked over to Mr. Bennett and handed him a slip of paper. She stood awkwardly as he pushed up his glasses to read it.

I eyed her up and down and watched as she tried to shake the hair away from her eyes before giving up and using her hand. She looked shyly around the class and her eyes spotted the empty spot beside Annie. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed Annie and her hair.

"Class, this is Faye Reed-"

"Reeves."

"Right. Miss. Reeves, why don't you introduce yourself to the class."

I yawned and turned to page forty-four. Science would definitely be a lot more interesting than listening to the new girl introduce herself. There was nothing about her that intrigued me. In fact she looked drab, like she had come straight out of a farm or something.

English class was before lunch and I knew what I was in for; Mr. Walker reciting Shakespeare whilst he leered at the girls sitting in the front desks. So I ran to class to get to the classroom before everyone else.

Mr. Walker was sitting at his desk scoring classwork when I walked over to him.

I coughed and sniffled dramatically. "Sir, I don't feel so good." I coughed again. "I need to see the school nurse."

"Hmm," he sighed, looking up at me. "And what exactly is wrong with you Miss. Fletcher?"

"My palms are sweating and my chest feels like it's going to explode!" I increased my breathing. "I think I caught what Jane Quinn has."

His eyes instantly looked down at my chest and that's when I pushed my chest out.

"Why, uh, yes," he spluttered and then cleared his throat. "Make sure you get a slip from the nurse."

I smiled to myself as I sauntered out of the classroom, passing Beverly on my way out. She was alone, usually Annie would be attached to her hip but she was nowhere to be seen. I sent Bev a wink and she grinned.

I skipped down the corridor, making sure I was on the lookout for any stray teachers that were out of class.

Once I got the nurse's office, I composed myself by clutching my stomach and then rapped on the door.

Miss. Peters, the school nurse, took instant pity on me and I got to spend the whole time lying on the infirmary bed with a cool rag on my forehead. It was bliss!

I excused myself five minutes before class would be over and lunch was just around the corner. I decided to wait for Bev and Annie at our lockers, making sure I had the nurses slip just in case Ms. Brown stormed the halls.

I strolled past the janitor's closet when a hand covered my mouth and another grabbed my arm and shoved me inside.

"What are you doing out of class, young lady?" A stern voice whispered in my ear.

I heard the door getting locked from behind us.

I gasped when I felt his lips trail along my neck.

"Eyeball, what are you doing here?" I giggled. "We do this on Thursday, not Monday."

I felt him shrug. "I was bored! Now, shut up and let me kiss you!"

I obliged, giggling and swooning when his lips went from my neck to my mouth.

The lunch bell rang, but I ignored it. Even If I were hungry I wouldn't let it come between us.

He unbuttoned my blouse as I took the shirt off his back. Time seemed to disappear and our kisses became hot and heavy. Eyeball always knew how to take a girl away from this world, just from the roughness of his lips and the touch of his hands.

A thump on the door sent me back to reality and I remembered that I wasn't in paradise; I was still in the janitor's closet.

The pounding on the door increased.

I moaned, between kisses, "What?"

His hands still explored my body, his lips still attached to my neck. I moaned again, but this time with delight. It was dark in there but he knew his way around my body.

"Deena, get outta there!" It was Bev. "Bitch Brown is walking right down the hall."

Shit! I was in trouble. How did Bev even know I was in here? Well, if Bev knew I was in here Ms. Brown was sure to find out.

"Eyeball, get off!" I tried and failed, to push our bodies apart. "I mean it!"

"Ah, c'mon!" he groaned. "We're just getting to the good part."

He went to kiss me again, but I leaned away.

"I mean it, Ricky. If we get caught, I'll be put in isolation or worse… suspended!"

"Let 'em suspend ya!" I could tell he was smirking. "This is worth getting in trouble for."

"Maybe for you, but I want to graduate!"

"You'll not graduate if you spend all your days making out in the janitor's closet!"

"Bev, get your ear off the door," I spat. That girl was always eavesdropping. "Eyeball, I don't know how you got in here. But, you gotta jump outta the window... Now!"

"Fine!" I could hear him rustle around for something. "You seen my shirt?"

"Does it look like I can see?"

Ms. Brown was sure to be approaching any minute.

"We don't have time, Eyeball! Just leave without it!"

"All right, all right," he grumbled. "I'm leaving. But, you owe me!"

"Pick me up at six, all right?" I gave him one last kiss and then pushed him away.

I waited for him to jump out the window before I opened the closet door and stepped out.

Bev, who was leaning against the wall, smiled coyly over at me.

"What?" I shrugged and straightened my skirt. "He was just helping me fix my hair." I began to primp my hair, ignoring the look of disbelief she sent my way.

She sighed, with a smirk, "If that's what you kids are calling it these days."

"How'd you know I was in there?"

"Who didn't know you were in there?"

"Shut up," I said, buttoning up my blouse.

Ms. Brown sauntered past, I gave her a small smile and she looked skeptically at me as she disappeared into her office.

That was close. Too close.

I liked my arm with Bev's. "I'm starved and it's lunchtime. Where's Annie?"

Bev giggled, "Before English, her hair deflated, well, more like exploded! Bitch Brown caught her and found all the stuff she had tucked up inside. She had to stay and tidy up after class."

"I told her to stop touching it!" I groaned.

"Yeah," Bev grinned. "She has to stay after school and bang erasers too."

I rolled my eyes. "Trust Annie to screw everything up. C'mon, let's go! Annie can have the scraps when she finally returns!"

I pushed my half eaten sandwich away.

"Can I have that?" Annie asked, sitting herself down beside me and Bev. "All that was left was stale bread and tough meat."

I pushed the plate towards her, giving her the go ahead.

"It's your own fault... shouldn't have been playing with your hair," I said and then gulped down the rest of my milk. I scrunched up the carton and tossed it into the trashcan a few feet behind us.

Bev looked up from the romance novel she was reading and she sighed, "Lunch isn't the same without Paulette!"

"You say this every time!" I groaned.

Paulette was the fourth member of our group. Last spring she had been shipped away for nine months and counting. It didn't take an Einstein to realize why - she had gotten herself knocked up - and now our foursome was down to three. It was March now and it didn't look like Paulette was ever going to return.

"It's true though!" Bev placed the book on the desk. "Three isn't a good number."

"What do you suggest we do about it, huh?" I asked somewhat impatiently.

"We could look for a replacement?"

"In this place? C'mon, we all know no one has what it takes."

"Well, what about Georgina Carmichael?"

"No way!" The chick looked like she had been beaten with the ugly stick.

"Hannah McGuire?"

"No." She was way too pretty.

"I know," Annie sighed, playing with her hair.

Me and Bev looked at her.

"What about that new girl?

"Who? That drab looking thing?" I grimaced. "She's as dull as ditch-water."

"She seemed fine when I was talking to her."

"Well, fine ain't gonna cut it."

"Maybe, we could fix her up?" Bev shrugged.

"There she is over there!" Annie whispered, pointing to the canteen door.

I looked over and sure enough she was there, looking like a lost puppy and out of her depth. Her skirt was well below her knees and she tugged at her sweater nervously. It would take a lot of work to fix her up, but I had to admit it did appeal to me.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I sighed. "Call her over."