Chapter 1

The moon was full with an unusual yellow haze around it tonight. My nostrils filled with the wonderful smell of summer air mixed with grass and chlorine from the pool in the backyard. As I sat on the deck in my wicker chair in my pajamas I could hear the obnoxious, yet relaxing chirp of the crickets scattering about in the grass. I sucked on the sweet cherry popsicle as it dripped on my leg, and it tasted like the best popsicle that my taste buds have ever had the privilege of enjoying. It was probably just my anxiety kicking in, but my all of my thoughts and anticipations were racing through my head faster than the Indy 500, and my brain felt like it was going to explode and scatter onto the hard wooden planks of my deck. Tonight was my very last glimpse of the short dream that I like to call summer. But this summer seemed strangely short. The days were more like minutes, and the hours like seconds. And even now as I sit here in a daze, my heart beats faster with stress from the thought that tomorrow I would be entering a world outside of my own - Ashtonville Hills High School.

I wondered how long I had been sitting outside in my summer's dream, and I looked through the window into the kitchen. The black hands on the clock read exactly 11:00. Surprisingly I had been out here staring at the moon's foggy white mist for more then three hours, and yet it felt like three minutes. Time had obviously escaped me, and so had my sanity. I don't know what this strange, engulfing emotion is that's taking over me. I had to go to sleep though, before I lost my physical state-of-being as well, and after all tomorrow would probably be the day that the mind of I, Elizabeth Anne Winchester, cracks. Especially with such a rich, snobby name like that- the exact opposite of me. I am not popular, drop-dead-gorgeous, or stuck-up. My name doesn't fit who I am, so I pretend that my parents weren't going completely psycho when they named me, and just go by simply, Lizzy Winchester, the name I gave myself.

Sleeping is completely out of realm when tomorrow is the day that your life changes forever. My eyes were shut, but it was as if I was running on adrenaline power, and slipping in and out of this daze that I think was supposed to be a form of sleep. Before I knew it six o'clock had come around too fast and I was slamming my fist down on the snooze button of my obnoxiously loud alarm clock to stop the constant beeping in my ear. I pulled off the covers and sprang out of bed still running on my auto-pilot serge of energy that I had gained last night. What was up with this feeling-this…sick-to-my- stomach nervous feeling. I mean high school couldn't be all that bad right? What am I worrying for, it's probably the exact same thing as middle school, and after all, I know I have one friend that will stick with me through this. Amber Bailey- she is my best friend in the entire world, and she and I have been to the moon and back. Ever since Amber reached over and borrowed my blue crayon in kindergarten we have had each other's backs and have pretty much done everything together. I had to call Amber and ask her for some much needed fashion advice, before I became a fashion disaster, and then forever risked being known as "the weird girl" who had no friends.

Just then, the phone rang and I almost jumped through the ceiling. I picked up my fluffy pink phone off of my nightstand next to my bed and pressed the big red talk button.

"Hello?", I mumbled into the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Heyyyy Liz! What's up?", replied Amber ecstatically.

"Oh my god, hi! You scared me half to death, but I was just gonna call you anyway."

"Listen, I need fashion advice, pronto," I pleaded.

"Uhmm, let's see. I think that pink shirt that you got at the mall the other day would be gorgeous against your auburn hair. You know, that one we got at Hollister with the little rhinestones on it?", replied Amber.

"Yeah. You're going on the bus right?"

"Yeah."

"Kay good, cuz I gotta go get ready. I'll talk to you there. Oh and save me a seat."

"Alright, will do, bye!"

"Bye," I told Amber as I hung up the phone.

I walked over to my messy closet and grabbed the pink shirt with the rhinestones from the Hollister bag, just as Amber had said to, and pulled it over my head. The mirror had proved Amber right. Not being conceded, but it did look really good against my reddish-brown hair and lightly tanned summer skin, and it really brought out my piercing, green eyes. My eyes had always been my best feature, just because there was something about them that was so mysterious and so- intense. They are the only thing that I probably love about myself.

I looked over at my fluffy white Bishon Friese, Bella. Sure enough, she was stepping on my Abercrombie & Fitch jean skirt that I was going to wear today.

"Bella, I need that," I said as I picked up my dog and put her on my bed.

I stared at Bella and there was the face. You know, that adorable I'm-so-cute-feel-sorry-for-me face that little puppies give you.

"I can't play with you now, I'm sorry Bella," I explained to the little dog on my bed that was just longing for sympathy.

Just then, my 16-year-old sister, barged into my room.

"Lizzy, mom wants you to come downstairs," exclaimed my sister obnoxiously.

"Jeeze Al, don't you know how to knock!", I yelled.

"Yeah, but you freshmen have got to learn that high school is so overrated," Ally sighed with attitude as she slammed my door shut.

That's my wonderful sister, Allyson Marie Winchester for you. Sure, she's interesting alright. Through the dirty blonde hair, blue eyes, and perfect body, you see the true side of her. Let's just say, being her sister isn't all it's cut out to be. Everyone loves her, and ignores my very existence. Ally is everything you could ever want- the star athlete, the teacher's pet, the drop-dead-gorgeous-most popular girl in the eleventh grade, and the girl that gets any guy she wants in the blink of an eye. But me, I'm just the girl in the background, the one who has the notorious reputation of being Ally Winchester's nobody little sister. And now that I'm going to be a freshman, things should be interesting at Ashtonville Hills High.