Author's Notes: Hello! Well, this takes place around Junior year and many things have occurred since then. Lizzie and Ethan are dating, Miranda has a hopeless crush on Ethan and Gordo and feels resentful of Lizzie that both like her (Miranda isn't a pathetic 'waah waah' girl in mine though so don't worry about that), Gordo is feeling pressure about college and he still has never admitted his crush on Lizzie, and Kate Sanders is still the popular snobby girl but she has so much to hide. This switches P.O.V.'s but I swear you'll understand everything and it won't get too complicated. Ok now, go on and read and review! Pretty please!
No Angel
By A Whispered Dream [Heather]
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Chapter One: Illusions Of Innocence
I hate Christmas. Hate, hate, hate it. If it weren't for the long, spacious two weeks break from school I'd think the holiday was a total waste. I mean, its really just a reason for parents to lie to their kids and tell them some jolly fat man will crawl down their chimney at night. (Um, yea, can we say 'creepy'?) Thank God my parents never told me that, I probably wouldn't have believed it anyway because what guy can make a Gucci hand purse anyway? But my parents never told us stories about the North Pole or elves, or decorated trees together, or had snowball fights. They just bought me some sweaters and the things I'd written down on a fax for them and breezed right by the holiday like it didn't even exist. Not even a "Merry Christmas", well unless you count the ones from my maids and nannies who were paid to watch over me while my parents where in Milan and Paris and living their glamorous lives and pretending I didn't exist.
Not that I care though. Of course not. I hate Christmas.
Now its the end of the day and Christmas break is laid out in front of us all, welcoming us into blissful days of sleeping late and just wasting time. Kids are streaking down the hallways, whooping and cheering, and I just crinkle up my pert nose. I strut down the corridor and everyone clears out of my way. They better. I saddle up to my locker and twist open the combination and the door swings open. I glance into my magnetic mirror approvingly just to make sure everything's in place. Long wavy blonde hair collapsing down my shoulders - check. Glistening dark brown eyes and the perfect amount of glitter and blush - check and check. That fake, plastic smile - check.
I start shoving in notepads and folders, happy I won't have to do this for another few days, when Kelly hugs up to my side. She's a suck-up and a wannabe and I hate her but I turn and smile anyway. "Hey, Kelly," I chirp in my sweet singsong voice.
Kelly Briggsbee is overjoyed I even know her name and beams up at me with those half-moon dimples. She has shoulder length dark hair and pale eyes, with a dusting of freckles that she tried so hard to cover up with a tan this summer but just ended up making them darker little black blotches. She wears loud colors and clothes that try way too hard. "O my God, Kate, is that skirt new? I love it!" she crows like a trained parrot. Maybe I should give her cracker and pat her head?
I give my best 'humble' look and twirl around for her to admire my denim mini skirt marked with urban graffiti and the hem frayed. "Oh you like it? It's by D&G, I went to a private fitting a few days ago in New York and they said it was just made for my body," I swooned and glanced over my shoulder at my mirror image again, at those eyes so dark and sparkling with smugness. I've slipped up and shown too much, no one is supposed to see that, Kate Sanders is not a smug girl. I turned back to Kelly and added quickly, pointing to her, "But, you must tell me where you got that sweater! It's adorable!"
Kelly grins a Cheshire cat smile and smoothes down her neon green and pink knit top that makes her look like a big lumpy watermelon. "Oh, thanks, Kate. It's from this little store down town. I'll have to show you it sometime," she says in such a proud voice, believing she has something 'Kate Sanders' would actually want.
She should tell me the store just so I never make the mistake of going in there at any time in my life. I merely tighten my smile and reply, "Yea, you do. We'll have to go shopping together sometime." Now I'm laying it on a little thick, like I'd actually even be caught dead with little miss 'freckle face'. Bleck, gag, die.
This sends Kelly over the edge and she's radiating with self-pride like a microwave and looking around to see if anyone's noticed her yet talking to me. Finally she starts rummaging through her fuzzy cat purse and pulls out a small red envelope. "Oh, Kate, guess what?"
You finally got the DNA test results back from the lab and it turns out you really are an alien from the planet Loseroid and NASA's planning to run studies to see how its possible to cram so much loser into one body?
"My parents are going away for the whole Christmas vacation. The whole thing! Couldn't you just die? So I'm having a party and everyone's invited. I hope you'll come," she says giggly.
I turn the envelope over in my hands, buying time so I can work on the perfect 'I'm so happy' face. There's a neatly detailed Santa drawn over the front of the envelope and there's written on it: Come to my ho-ho-holiday party! In my mind I take the card, tare it up into a million pieces, throw it up into the air like paper snow, and scream, "Ho-ho-holy crap, you're a geek!" Instead my long lashes spread up and I meet her stare and grin sweetly. "Of course. Sounds fun," I say shortly, choking down my disgust.
She makes a noise like a purr and then is beside herself with pure gushing ego. She turns and saunters off down the hallway and I watch her go through slanted eyes, noticing how I could probably still see her for miles with that bright tacky sweater on. Then I turn to jam the card into my purse and it creases into folds. I don't know if I'm going to go to Kelly's party, I mean, there will probably be the same people there that are always at every party and they'll talk about the same stuff they always talk about and I'll just say the appropriate things and give the appropriate smiles. But I don't have any plans except to sit up in a lonely room and watch soap operas anyway so I'm not at the point to be choosy.
I take a quick glance around to see who else got the telltale red envelopes too. There's Mackenzie, and Brenda, and they're ok; not too cool and their clothes are sorta cheap but they have some style. Thomas B. and Mallory; O God, the P.D.A. couple who can't go through one period without making out like bunnies in whatever corner they can find. Then I notice Lizzie McGuire at her locker with her two best friends, Gordo and Miranda; all holding red envelopes, mind you, and chatting away about what their plans are for break. Ok, that decides it right there, there is no way I'm going to Kelly's party, soap operas or not. They are the only people I actually allow my true colors to show to and act rude to. There is just something about that little group that makes my head pop and fizzle with jealousy and hate. I can't stand them. The way they always laugh all together like everything is some inside joke, the way they sometimes wear matching shirts and crack up because they 'swear it was a mistake', or like now, when they can't even make plans over the holidays without consulting one another.
Lizzie is... ok, sorta popular and most everyone likes her. With her All-American looks, short sunny blonde hair and perfect blue eyes, she's just like any girl next door, I guess, pretty but plain in my opinion. She has an ok style that borders on funky but I can live with that. What I can't deal with is that sort of innocent look she has, like she never has thought one bad thing about anyone, like when she smiles its real. Miranda is pretty awesome really. Great style, she use to be a little more out there but over the summer of Sophomore year she grew a few inches and thinned out and now everyone is talking about how she looks just like Gisele Bundchen, the Brazilian Victoria Secret's model, which in my opinion was pushing it. She has longish brown hair and bangs and bronze skin and big expressive eyes. She has a big mouth though and she's always, I don't know, trying so hard for people to notice her. But being Lizzie's best friend must not be that easy anyway; people tend to look at her first and anyone else second. Then there's Gordo, the 'lovable nerd', the curly haired scrawny misfit. He's taller now and just as skinny but his face looks... mature. Like he knows a lot of things you don't, like he can understand you better then even you can. It doesn't matter though because he is in such love with Lizzie, it's painfully obvious, but she's too wrapped up in Ethan to even pay attention.
And I watch as Ethan walks up to Lizzie and towers over her, smiling. She's smiling up at him too and waving the envelope around, no doubt asking him to go. Ethan's popular, he's not a jock but every girl still would give up their left arm to be with him. He has perfect glistening brown hair to his ears and dresses pretty good, although now Lizzie dresses him and that helps. What is he doing with her anyhow? What does she have that anyone doesn't have? He leans down to touch her cheek and kiss her and I watch as Miranda and Gordo wilt a little and pretend not to watch. I know what she has that makes him like her, that I don't have, that I'll never have. It's that innocence.
Not that I care though. Of course not. I hate Lizzie McGuire.
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Closing Note: Ok well, that was short but its more like the introduction. The story will pick up next chapter, you'll see. I just love writing from Kate's P.O.V. she's always been my favorite character. (What does that say about me!) Thanks for reading and maybe you could take a few minutes to review? If you do I'll love you to pieces!