Sorry for the delay! Especially to Finsterboy97 for saying this would be done yesterday! It's only short but I had some problems...
Lily falls into her seat at the back of the classroom and sits with her legs spilling into the aisle. It's something all of the cheerleaders do. She pulls out her compact mirror and stares into it, examining her reflection carefully.
"Psst!" She flicks her gaze from the mirror to the seat just to the right of her where Damien Chance sits. He's only about the hottest guy in school. Some would argue that Phil gets that title, but of course Lily would disagree. Damien plays football too but he's more reserved than Phil; quieter and cooler. He's broader too across the shoulders and his hair is all soft and floppy.
Lily smiles softly up at him and inclines her head. She's no stranger to flirting; Angelica taught her everything. She hasn't actually got any further than second base with a boy but that's all about to change. As head cheerleader she has a reputation that precedes her, she needs to live up to it now. Casually, she hopes, she twirls her hair around her fingers and licks her glossed lips.
Damien grins broadly, revealing a row of perfectly straight white teeth, "Congrats on getting Captain, it suits you."
She feels herself flush slightly as her smile widens, "Thanks, I kind of like it so far."
"I'll bet." He leans back in his seat and reaches his arm out so that his fingertips graze against her bare leg, "It's got to be tough, being the hottest girl in school."
Lily's breath hitches in her throat at his rough touch, it excites her and terrifies her all at once. "It's, um,"
"So there's a party tonight at Tyler's place to start the year off with a bang and a load of alcohol…everyone's gonna be there." Damien tells her in a lazy tone, "It would be great to see you out of school, out of that uniform."
She bites down on her lower lip and considers the look in his eyes, she knows what it means. He wants her. And he's brilliant boyfriend material and he's showing an interest in her. But she doesn't really know him at all and she's never been with a boy properly before.
"I'll pick you up at eight." He says, he doesn't ask.
Lily just smiles though. She wants to scream and laugh and dance. Damien Chance is taking her out. To a party. On a school night. With Alcohol.
The bell rings for the end of homeroom and Lily scoops her bag up quickly, hoping to catch a couple of her friends between classes to tell them her news. She flounces out of the room, feeling Damien's eyes on her and a warm feeling in her chest.
As she slips out of the classroom a body collides with her, sending her bag skidding across the floor along with pages of artwork that drop from the other person's hand. She narrows her eyes at Kimi Finster as the darker haired girl rushes to her hands and knees to begin gathering her belongings. One of the lower class freshmen already has Lily's bag in her outstretched hand.
"Sorry," Kimi smiles widely as though it's great that they crashed into one another. "Didn't see you, it's all this sketching I've been doing over the summer! You look, um, nice."
Lily feels her face flushing with heat as Kimi chatters on as though they know each other or something. They don't. Kimi Finster doesn't know anything about her. Not anymore. She sets her bag onto her shoulder and blows her bangs out of her face, "Shut up, Freak."
Her friends laugh and she feels calmer instantly. When she glances back at Kimi quickly though, her stomach sinks. Her former friend is still crouched on the floor, blinking up at her disbelievingly and Lily can tell that she's hurt her feelings. She doesn't care though, she can't care. She can't. Because that can mean her losing it all. So she turns on her heel and leaves.
Kimi shakes her head and thrashes her artwork into the large zip file under her arm. As she pushes the papers together, she notices the corner of a photograph peeking free. She frowns and pulls it loose, a gasp catching in her throat. As she stares, transfixed, she feels an arm haul her to her feet.
"This some kind of edgy art thing?" Tommy laughs, referring to her being sat in the middle of the crowded corridor as he leans up against the row of lockers.
Kimi shakes her head, "I had a run in with the Princess."
Instantly Tommy turns his head to check if she's still in the vicinity but she's vanished. Kimi slaps him in the chest teasingly and shakes a picture in front of his eyes. He frowns and picks it from her hand. Kimi watches as the smile of recognition grows over his features. "Hey, I remember this!"
He studies the photograph and slowly his smile fades.
"I thought we'd be friends forever, you know?" He whispers. Tommy's a cool kid, one of the coolest, Kimi thinks, but he's never been afraid of saying how he feels and she likes him all the more for it.
"Yeah." Kimi looks at him with her deep eyes, "Me too, Tommy."
He passes the picture back, his brow pinching with confusion, "Why are you carrying that around anyway?"
"I'm not." Kimi's eyes sparkle a little, "It fell from Lil's bag."
Tommy raises his eyebrows, "And you say she's heartless."
Kimi cackles, "I don't know what she is but I sure as hell know doesn't care about us, Tommy. She's too busy being popular and beautiful and sleeping with the football team."
"Don't." Tommy chastises, "She's…she's just trying to fit in. She's not like us; she doesn't know who she is."
"And that's my fault is it?" Kimi pushes back as they stroll towards their next class at a leisurely pace. "I don't care that she's a cheerleader, I care that she's become a horrible person."
"She's not." Tommy whispers, "She's, well, she's Lil, isn't she?"
Kimi rolls her eyes, "Right. Translation; you love her."