This is my first chapter of my new story. I promise that I'm not abandoning 'When Southern Belles and Stalkers Collide', but my muse has ADD, and she wouldn't relent until I started this. Also, once again character you recognize are not mine and characters you don't ARE mine. Thanks to Jaime (ShesGotHighHopes) for being my editor. Also, additional thanks to Kate (KateManoso) for being so encouraging towards me and this idea. Okay I know that at the time of Steph being in high school personal cell phones prob would not have existed, but for my story, the characters having cell phones is going to be CRITICAL so please overlook this fact! Thank you!
Now please enjoy!!
Chapter One- Boarding The Bus to Doom…
Beep…Beep…Beep
As the alarm began to sound, an arm snaked out from under the light blue comforter on the bed. As the alarm was silenced, a moan was heard coming from under the comforter. Suddenly a head with brown curly hair popped out slowly from under the sheets of the bed. The occupant of the bed was a teenage girl of about fourteen. The silence of the room was broken again by a yell from a different portion of the house, "Stephanie Michelle Plum! I heard your alarm go off, you better be out of bed!! No daughter of mine is going to be late for her first day of high school."
Before the girl could yell back to her mother, her cell phone beeped. She pulled herself out of bed and grabbed it from the nightstand. She saw that she had four text messages and it was only 6:30 A.M. She loved her friends, but this was a bit much even if it was their first official day of high school. She opened her phone and read her messages.
From: Mary Lou
Wake-up, Best friend! It's our first day of high school.
From: Chloe
Time for school. Wake-up like a good little 'Burg girl.
From: Jaime
I'm bringing you a doughnut. If I know you, you will need it.
From: Lula
White girl! What are you wearing to school? You need to make a good impression.
Once she read all the texts, Stephanie couldn't help but giggle. Her friends were priceless. Mary Lou Molnar was her best friend and knew her better than anyone. She knew how much Steph hated early mornings. Chloe Elizabeth McDuffie was a recent addition to the gang who had moved to Jersey when they were in the seventh grade from Savannah, Georgia. Jaime Gabrielle Reynolds had moved across the street from Stephanie when they were five and had immediately clicked with Mary Lou and Stephanie. The last girl in their crazy motley crew was Tallulah 'Lula' Maria Coleman. She was wild and crazy and usually the mastermind behind the mischief that the girls got into. She was also the one who caused the girls to have many frequent detentions although that could not entirely be blamed on Lula.
Stephanie then proceeded to the bathroom to get ready for her first day of high school. An hour and a half later, she was ready for school so she went downstairs to have breakfast before meeting the girls at the bus stop. As she entered the kitchen her mother all but squealed saying, "Oh, Stephie! You look so adorable. Frank, where's the camera?"
"Mom!" Stephanie exclaimed embarrassed by her mother's antics.
"Ellen, leave the poor girl alone."
"Thanks Daddy."
"No problem, Pumpkin."
"Mother, you can take my picture," Valerie, Stephanie's older sister, said.
"You're such a suck-up, Saint Valerie."
"Better than being a little devil, Stephanie."
"The devil has more fun."
"Saints are prettier."
"Girls!! Stop that arguing right now! You are going to miss the bus."
"Yes, Mom."
"Of course, Mother."
With that, the girls ran out to the bus stop. Valerie's best friend Maria, who was basically a Saint Valerie clone, was already there along with Jaime and Mary Lou. Chloe and Lula were still not there, not that this was unusual, they were known for always being fashionably late. Jaime and Mary Lou smiled at Steph and gave her a hug each. Jaime then handed Steph the promised doughnut. Steph smiled and quickly made short work of eating it. As soon as she finished, Steph opened her mouth to thank Jaime when they were interrupted by the arrival of Chloe and Lula. However, the two girls were not alone when they came upon the bus stop.
Valerie sighed, "Why do you let those loser boys hang around you four? You guys can do SO much better for male company."
Stephanie glared at her older sister, "We hang with them because we like them. They protect us from idiots like you."
Valerie glared back at her little sister before turning towards Maria to talk to her and to also ignore the younger students. Steph, Mary Lou, and Jaime turned towards their crazy friends who were steadily getting closer. First came Lula who was talking to a young man who was tall and extremely well-built for a boy who was only fourteen. The boy was named Pierre Morrison, but because of his extremely intimidating size, they all called him Tank. It was a widely known fact among the rest of the gang that Tank and Lula liked each other though both were too shy to admit to it outright. Instead, they just hung out together…a lot. Next behind them was Bobby Brown who was a quiet and studious boy who wanted to go to medical school and be a doctor. Bobby and Jaime got along well because unlike the others, they actually enjoyed school although they still engaged in whatever mischief the gang was getting into at any given moment.
Following Bobby was an extremely amusing sight especially to those who knew the people coming next. Chloe was being given a piggy back ride by her boyfriend of almost a year, Lester Santos, who was Bobby's best friend. Chloe and Lester had first met when she had moved to Trenton at the beginning of seventh grade, but neither had had the courage to do anything about their mutual attraction until Lester had finally had it with all the male attention she received (it was that damn Southern accent and charm!) and kissed her at the Halloween dance at the start of their eighth grade year. They had been almost inseparable ever since, and sometimes their friends found it highly disgusting especially when they started acting cutesy. The joke among the adults in the 'Burg is that Chloe and Lester would get married as soon as they were old enough. Whenever this was mentioned, Chloe would laugh and say, "Nobody finds their soul mate when they're twelve. I mean, where's the fun in that, right?"
Bringing up the rear was Stephanie's guy best friend, Ricardo Carlos Manoso. Everyone called him Carlos, and he and Tank were best friends. However, from the day he and Steph met when they were three in their church daycare, there was an amazing connection between them. Steph and Carlos could not explain why they understood each other so well, but they embraced it. The connection had become so strong that they even were able to sense when the other was near even before they actually saw or heard each other. Valerie thought it was weird that Steph hung out with Carlos. Stephanie was told everyday of her natural born life by many people that she was beautiful while Carlos was a boy who had to yet to grow into his looks. He was already 5'10", but he was still extremely skinny. He had recently begun efforts to bulk up along with Tank, Bobby, and Lester. The only reason Carlos didn't get beaten up daily was because he hung out with Steph (who was basically adored by all), and because Tank had somehow turned into a best friend/bodyguard hybrid.
Carlos smiled at Steph and gave her a hug and kiss on the cheek. They then turned to the rest of their friends. Steph grimaced because Lester and Chloe were making out like the horny teenagers they were. Valerie was pointedly ignoring them though she couldn't quite conceal her disgust at the display. Bobby decided to interrupt the couple by yelling, "Get a room!"
"Are you going to pay for us to get one, Brown?" Chloe shot back.
At that comment, all the girls minus Valerie and Maria burst into giggles. Carlos gave Steph another hug just as the bus arrived. Everyone began to pile on until Carlos and Stephanie were last. As they got on, Carlos whispered in her ear, "It's going to be a hell of year, Babe."
TBC…
More is coming so if you like it, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I am a review slut. To my loyal readers of 'When Southern Belles and Stalkers Collide' more is coming…I swear!!
