COME NO CLOSER
Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Princess Diaries' as if I did, I wouldn't be writing FanFiction but the real thing!
Plot: Being Lana -the beautiful blonde cheerleader -isn't as easy as you think. Particularly right now, when she's torn between making the choice that will change her life: Date the guy she's fallen in love with: Fenrik, Lilly's nerdy boyfriend who secretly likes Lana as well, but will ruin Lana's image; or go out with Rick, the new arrogant, cute football quarterback who thinks of Lana as nothing but a pretty face?
PROLOGUE
ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT:
Keep a journal till the end of the year, starting from today.
I stared at the blank page, with the heading: Diary printed on the top. I seriously didn't know what to write in it. I mean, it wasn't like I was going to write what actually happened. No way. Especially since our last English teacher who I actually liked left, and this one actually reads our assignments instead of just, you know, flipping through it. So I guess I have to make some stuff up, but I don't exactly have what my annoying cousin, Nerdy Ms. Kristen calls "Creative Thought Pattern."
God, I remember one of our English Teachers- What's her name again? - gave us this assignment, to get to know us. But at least, that wasn't for a year. Seriously, can't these English teachers stop giving Diary Assignments? I think my heads going to tear if I have to think up of more make-believe days.
Thankfully, Trisha Hayes, my best friend, came up of a solution to this what-to-write-in-the-diary thing. Me, Trisha and this new girl who's trying out for cheerleading this year, I think her name is Jasmine or something, are meeting up at The Spot everyday, at 5.00PM, where we'll give each other ideas to write our so-called-journals. Trisha also told me that Jasmine girl, who I haven't really met, gets As in Creative Writing, so we could live on her ideas and get As as well. Which is fine by me, as mum's threatening to ground me if I get less than a C+ in all subjects.
Not that I can't sneak out if I'm grounded, but you know, I'm trying to follow the no risks policy.
Well, I can't wait to get started, as making-up ridiculous stories could actually be fun. And, its not like I have anything else to do other than cheerleading practice and hanging out with my girl pals since Josh broke up with me. Speaking of Josh, coming to think of it, Trisha was hinting heavily that a couple of guys were planning to hang out in The Spot as well. They are from the basketball team, I think. Although the basketballers aren't as cute as the Football Team, I've come to the conclusion that cute as all footballers come, they are all proud jerks as well.
xxx
I entered The Spot, a popular hangout for all the athletic groups. I could see why. The place was spotless with tastefully decorated tables and good coffee. I could live with a houseful of The Spot's lattes. They were that good. Oh, not to mention that since all the jock-boys end up spending their evenings here, The Spot has also become the place where majority of the jock boys and jock girls/cheerleaders have hooked up.
Come to think of it, its also where I met Josh for the first time.
"Lana! Over here!" I heard Trisha's voice yell, making it sound totally shrill. I turned around, to spot Trisha two tables away from where I was standing, with this pretty brunette. Or this brunette who could have been pretty if she didn't put her hair in a ponytail, wear this totally baggy pant and T-Shirt and leave her face make-up-less. I wondered what the girl was doing here, as people like her who dressed for the sake of it normally hung out in Kencer's, this mediocre cafe. It should be named Freak's Only instead, as its the abode of the nerds. I know, as when I passed by the place, I caught a glimpse of Mia Thermopolis and her unattractive sidekick, Lilly something along with this other girl... I think her name was Trina or Tweena or something...
Although Mia isn't particularly poor to live on Kencer's cheap coffee, being a Princess and protected by her freaky bodyguard... Lets say its good she chose to hang out at Kencer's rather than disgrace us by coming to The Spot.
"Hey Trish," I replied, pulling out my compact mirror from my clutch bag, before sitting down next to Trisha Hayes and the brunette-who-wore-no-make-up.
I glanced at myself through the mirror, making sure my make-up hadn't smudged. Something I did regularly. My blonde hair was in place, down my shoulders, and my lip gloss was on my lips and not smudged till my cheek, the way it always did to Trisha. Overall, I looked pretty hot, if I say so myself. Especially in my fab new pink top and matching miniskirt.
"Hey, you're Lana. Right?" the brunette said, smiling at me shyly.
"Hi," I mumbled, but not before raising my eyebrows at Trisha as though asking: ho-the-hell-is-this-girl-and-what-is-she-doing-here?
Its good I'd trained Trisha through years, in realising what "stamping her foot" Raising an eyebrow" and "widening my eyes" and such meant. Trisha prompty cleared her throat, before saying, "Um, Lana, this is Jasmine. Jasmine, Lana. Jas is trying out for the cheer squad.."
As Trisha introduced us, with a bright, even excited smile, the harsh truth dawned on me...So this was the marvelous, funny, Straight-As Jasmine I'd heard about from Trisha? Somehow she didn't fit the marvelous, funny description, although she looked like she got Straight-As alright. You know, Boring? Plus, no way this girl was going to try out or get in my cheer squad with her make-up-less, baggy clothes. Sorry, but even if she's brilliant in cheering, she didn't look as though she had any...class?
"Its great meeting you, Lana. Trisha has told me so much about you," Jasmine chirped, looking at me instead of with awe, the way people usually did, withinterest. Like, she was studying me or something...
Trisha, who seemed to note my frown, gave me this look which clearly said: Give her a chance.
Oh yeah. I'll give her a chance alright.
"So lets get started with our journals," Trisha finally said, making up for the awkwardness between me and Jasmine.
"Yeah. Sure." I mumbled hoping Jasmine wasn't a dissapointment in helping me and Trish as well. I opened the book covered with pink paper titled "Diary", I'd bought for the occasion. "Lets start."
"Okay," Trisha said, taking out a pink pen from her bag, before pushing away a strand of long red hair behind. "So, what about starting with...I dunno, like, we went shopping together and..."
"...got an, um, organiser for writing down homework and later drank a couple 'o smoothies and went home and slept?" I finished, feeling more intelligent than I had in weeks. Maybe it wasn't so hard after all, just put in some everyday-activities.
"That...um, sounds good," Jasmine said, looking at us thoughtfully. "But it lacks...you know, substance."
Now, I was getting a bit annoyed of Jasmine. Why did this girl think she could order us now? Substance? Who even cared about substance?
"Substance, as in?" Trisha asked, looking confused.
"That's what all teachers look for, particularly Ms. Greene, the current English teacher," Jasmine explained. "Seriously, I was comparing all my creative writing assignments, and the ones that got great grades had a sort of hidden moral."
"Right," I said, frowning. "Okay, so what about, me strolling along the roadside coming across a beggar? And the look of "glee" that filled his face once I handed him a twenty dollar note, made my day or something followed by a big rant on how its not fair that we have everything, while the poor people are forced to beg?"
"That's good for starters," Jasmine said with a grin.
"Thanks?" I replied. Okay, so this girl actually had some sense in her, and was awesome in her journal idea hints. "What are you writing about, Trish?"
But Trisha was too busy staring at a guy, typing away in his laptop with this furious expression in her face, to reply.
"Trish?" I said, louder this time, as she turned back to me, the furious expression still on her face.
"Guess who had the guts to come to The Spot," Trisha mumbled to herself, rather than at us.
"Who?" I asked, a frown creasing my forehead.
"Fenrik Maynor," Trisha mumbled, again, to herself.
"No way," I said, looking shocked. Fenrik Maynor. The King of Nerds. How dare he come to The Spot, a place where only the jocks were allowed. I mean, it was like, an unwritten rule than the nerds had to just stay out of the place, while the place was for us. Why couldn't he just run to Kencer's, where his unattractive friend, Lilly something hung out?
"Lets tell him to get out," Trisha said, this time, to me.
"Wait," Jasmine murmured, looking confused. "What's wrong if he-"
"I'll explain later," Trisha told Jasmine, as me and Trish, went straight towards Fenrik's table.
Once we were there, the basketballers who were at the next table, moved closer, looking curious. Soon, so were the footballers.
"Alright jerk," Trisha snarled, which as usual, came out as a high-pitched shriek. "Get out of our place before we make you,"
There were more "Oooo"s from the FBs (Footballers) and BBs (Basketballers), when Trisha said this. Fenrik only looked at us with surprised expression, making his wispy red hair look redder and black eyes than looked ridiculous with his red hair, darker.
"Your place?" Fenrik asked.
"Yes," Trisha said, in the same screechy voice. "Now, get out."
"Yeah, why don't you go to Kencer's and join your freak girlfriend?" I demanded, as his gaze shifted from Trisha to me, looking at me with his liquidy black eyes.
"Excuse me? Freak girlfriend? Have you even met her, Weinberger?" Fenrik demanded, looking really angry only now. When I called Lilly a freak.
"Oh, I know enough of her friend to judge her, Maynor," I said coolly, referring to Mia, of course.
"So thats why you make our lives hell, huh, Weinberger? Because you're jealous of Mia?" Fenrik said, totally shouting now. The FBs and BBs were definitely listening now.
"Excuse me, Maynor. But I am not jealous of Mia," I yelled back, my voice higher than intended. But even if I'd shouted more, it wouldn't cover the naked fear I felt now, as he said those words. I couldn't help but freak out, when Maynor said I was jealous of Mia. Although maybe he said that randomly, I still wished more than anything he hadn't discovered one of my deepest secrets. Something I'd worked to hard to keep away from people, it was why I had always been horrible to Mia, her friends and her clique. Because I was jealous of her.
Kind of.
"Shut up, you freak," Trisha yelled back, oblivious to how insecure Fenrik's words had made me.
"Alright," he said glaring at Trisha as he put his laptop in his ugly leather bag. "I'll go."
But before he did, his black eyes brushed past me briefly, as though penetrating through my soul. He took in my look of horror and fear, and as though he understood it, looking satisfied with how stupid he made me feel. Then, he left the place, followed by whoops from the FBs and BBs and chants of: "Go away, Maynor."
Even the waitresses didn't seem to mind the chaos, as we were probably a big source of their income.
"Woah, you rocked bigtime, Weinberger," a basketballer said, looking impressed.
But for once, I didn't pay attention to him, or even the journal assignment or Jasmine looking confused, as to what was happening there. Instead, my gaze was focused on the spot Fenrik had been sitting minutes before, his accusation of being jealous of Mia echoing in my ears...
xxx
LANA'S JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT:
Today, when I was on my way to pick up milk for mum, I ran into a boy about my age. He had wispy red hair, outlining his pale face and wore a pair of trousers way too short for him and a badly sewn T-Shirt. His black, liquidy eyes had a beauty of its own, underneath its graceful black lashes. They were eyes that bore a mixture of remorse and loss. Yet more than that, it was as though he had already lived life. And when they looked at me, it was as though he knew me. It was hard to believe this boy was here, begging for a living, a tin in his hand, jingling with the little pennies people had given him... He just looked so human, that I couldn't believe he was so poor, that he was living on the pennies in that tin.
Then, it hit me. That this guy, whoever he was, though poor enough to resort to begging, was still human. Yet, it is society that brands him as illiterate and decides his destiny as a worthless one. It is society that also, denies him education and all other neccessities that sculpt you into an individual of tommorow.
As I passed by him, and inserted a twenty dollar note in the tin, the look of delight in his face was worth recording. And when I asked him his name, he looked surprised, as I guess he wasn't really used to anyone paying attention to him.
"Fenrik," he finally said, as he thanked me and I passed by.
This incident not only opened my eyes, but showed me the need to not just sit back and watch it happen...Instead, to react to it and rectify it. I don't think its fair for the poor to be treated any different than the rich, and maybe its a subject I'll pay more attention to, from tommorow onwards.
Love,
Lana
xxx
A/N. Thanks for reading, review please and tell me whether I should continue!
-IcexPrincess