Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I woke up, startled to hear my beeping alarm. Unplugging the headache-inducing object, I bounced out of bed and checked the date. September 2nd. The first day of my last year of Octavian Country High School.

It was 6:15, school started at 7:00. I ran in the shower and just as
quickly ran out. I simultaneously brushed my bleached teeth and blow-dried my white blonde hair into something presentable. Once I got it where I wanted it, I got dressed, collected my things, and dashed out the door to a cheerful Massie standing out by her family's Range Rover, the car that drove us to school every year.

"Hey, Kuh-laire!" She yelled at me. "We're seniors now! Cheer up!" I attempted a weak smile.

"What's that thing we used to say?" I tried to remember the dorky greeting we used back in mid school. "Cheers, big ears!"

"Same goes, big nose!" We burst into hysterics, and kept laughing until Isaac, the Block family driver, honked his horn, telling us it was time to pick up the other girls. We jumped into the car and began chatting.

"Kuh-laire, your hair looks cute today," Massie smoothed her own hair and looked at her outfit, obviously new. "By the way, what do you think of my new outfit? I just got it yesterday." Knew it. She was wearing dark-rinse True Religion jeans and a plain dark green pocket tee. On her feet were ordinary black flats.

"It's...different," I tried to find the right word. "The accessories, the flashy colors, the, well, everything Massie-esque. It's...gone."

She blushed and looked out the window at Alicia's estate. We had arrived at our first passenger's home. "Derrick says I look better when I'm dressed normally. Not like I just walked off the runway."
The door opened, and into the car came a Spanish beauty, clad in head-to-toe Ralph Lauren, just like always.
We later picked up a tired-looking Kristen, dressed in black Juicy Couture velour sweatpants and a light blue Splendid tee-shirt. Dylan was overly excited, wearing a denim skirt and a long sleeved black scoop neck.

We came to school at 6:54, with just enough time to mingle with the girls and guys we've known for years, and to get to know the newbies. I immediately searched the school campus for my boyfriend, Josh Hotz. In reality, he was my boyfriend of 3 years, and I loved him. In my mind, my heart belonged to Cam Fisher, the long-term boyfriend of Olivia Ryans, my arch-nemesis. In a polite manner, I was nice to her, but if she got hit by a speeding bus, I wouldn't mind.

Olivia (hilariously named Faux-livia for her habit of buying fake designer clothing, or Duh-livia for her being annoyingly stupid) ran up to me and the PC.

"Hey guys!" Her frustratingly sweet personality and cherub-like face made me hate her even more. "Ohmigosh, Claire your hair looks so pretty! Everyone just looks great! Can you believe we'll be graduating together? I'm so excited." She also had a habit of rambling on. "Oh and Claire, Cam told me to tell you to expect a text from him today! He said it was important." Finally the ditzy girl said something right. My heartbeat sped to an alarming rate. Olivia smiled and waved to us. "Well I have to go and talk to other people. See you!"
I felt sorry for her, how she didn't realize how much fury I felt for her. Pity. She was PC material.
"Gawd, she is so ah-nnoying," Alicia gave a powerful hair flip that practically brought the freshmen to their knees. "I can nawt believe I was friends with her." Alicia was the only one that stuck to our old way of talking. I guess she missed the time when she was the beta to Massie's alpha. We all did.

I walked into my first period class, Honors AP English. I had gotten most of my credits in the last three years, so English was my only regular class this year.

I sat down just as the bell ring, next to a kid blasting You're Gonna Go Far, Kid by The Offspring on his blue iPod nano.

With a thousand lies and a good disguise, hit 'em right between the eyes, hit 'em right between the eyes.

"See the lightning in your eyes," he turned to me and grinned. I smirked and turned my attention to the teacher, Mrs. Startingale.

"Okay, class," she spoke in a shaky voice, obviously nervous to be teaching this class. Her black tights were bunched at the knees, and I could see lipstick smeared on her teeth. "We will begin class by filling out these surveys; they are just about you and your interests. Feel free to chat with your neighbors, we will be doing a lot of group work in this class, and I would love to have everyone get to know each other." Unfortunately, none of the Pretty Committee shared this class with me, so it was up to me to find someone to talk to.

"So, Miss Lyons," the guy next to me read the name I wrote on my survey. "Claire Lyons. I'm Daniel. Daniel Johnson." I blushed as I finally got a good look at him. His jet black hair fell to his eyes, which were a color that I couldn't find a name for. He was definitely cute, but by the look of his Panic at the Disco shirt and gray skinny jeans, I couldn't say Massie would approve. But then again, she was changing lately.

"Why, hello, Daniel." I smiled the cutest smile I could pull off. "I see your hobbies are music and photography." I could practically feel myself being a lame-ass.

"Hell yeah, art is pretty much my passion," he grinned again, showing off straight, white teeth. I even thought his teeth were attractive. My palms were sweating. "So, Miss Lyons, do you have a boyfriend?"

Boyfriend. Do I have a boyfriend? My conscience shrieked "Yes! Kuh-laire, you stupid girl, you are madly in love with Josh!"

My heart was yelling "Cam! You love Cam!"

But my brain said "Cam and Josh? Who are they?"
I decided to listen to my brain.

"No, I'm single." I winked at him, hoping he didn't think I had an eye twitch.

"I'm surprised," he winked back, and turned to finish his survey. I felt my face getting red, and did the same. My face grew even redder (was that even possible?) as I read the next question.

Do you have a significant other?

I paled. Other? Yes. Significant? Not so much. Why was this survey so evil? Why must everybody ask me that question, when I don't even know the answer? Once again I followed my brain and scribbled "no". I prayed to Gawd that neither Josh nor Cam ever got their hands on this paper.
After a moment of thought, I erased the "no" and put a more intelligent answer:

I choose to believe the term 'significant other' is a horrible faux-pas. Some people may have 'others', but they lack the significance. I am one of those people.

I heard Daniel snicker, and turned to him with an angry glare. "That, possibly, is the greatest thing I have ever seen anyone write." My grimace turned to a shy smile.

"I agree." I peeked at his paper and saw what he had written.

I have met someone other, but am still pondering their significance.

I had a feeling he was talking about me, and the look he gave me after he saw that I read it confirmed that thought.

It was time to reconsider my relationship with Josh.