LAKEHURST

LAKEHURST: SHATTERED

CHAPTER TWO: "Seize the Day"

SARAH DAVIES

Sarah is walking into Lakehurst. She immediately spots Rachel, whom is talking to Vanessa. "Rachel!" Sarah calls out to the girl. "Sarah," Rachel whispers as she and Vanessa part ways. "Hey, how's Trevor?" Sarah asks the girl. Rachel only shakes her head, "I have no clue… I haven't talked to him since he found out about what happened." Sarah only gave the girl a faint smile; she was really feeling for Trevor. She had known Trevor for a pretty long time and it just seemed too unreal.

"Walk you to class?" Sarah asked and Rachel nodded. The two girls had started to get on neutral terms when it came to their friends. Sarah looked to Rachel and smiled, "Well, at least that's the only drama any of us has to deal with this year." Rachel nodded in agreement. However, she stopped nodded when she caught a glimpse of what every other student was looking at.

Sarah followed the girls eyes and screamed as she saw a picture of her stripping – which had been blown up courtesy of Renee. "No!" Sarah shouted.

Just then the intercom came on, "Sarah Davies, report to my office… now!" Principal Richards's said. Sarah ignored the woman's voice as she started to rip down her image; however, people were starting to record and snap pictures involving the incident.

BACK TO LAKEHURST

LAKEHURST… "Etienne!" Bianca shouted, trying to get her brother's attention. Etienne immediately was brought back into reality. "Huh?" he asked. Bianca laughed a little, "What the hell were you doing daydreaming about Camielle Davies?" Bianca teased. When Etienne didn't say anything, Bianca's eyes widened.

"No way, you like her?" Bianca stated and Etienne quickly shook his head. "Bianca, shut up!" Etienne said as Bianca continued to laugh. "Besides. I kind of screwed things up, anyway," Etienne said as he and Bianca went through the doors of the school.

Bianca stopped when she realized that she and her brother were standing in front of Adam. "Hi," Bianca whispered. "Hi." Adam then walked around the pair and headed towards his class.

Etienne only watched his sister and then started to laugh himself. "What?" she asked him. Etienne continued to laugh. "Whatever, get to class!" Bianca shouted as she headed towards her own. Etienne's laughter died down as he made his way over to his locker. Just then his phone started vibrating.

Etienne looked at the caller id and his smile faded. It was him. "Hello?" Etienne said, putting the phone to his ear. "Where's my money?" a man's voice said on the other end of the phone. "I promise I'll have it to you by the end of the week!" Etienne said. "No," the man's voice started, "I'm coming to collect today, so you just make sure you're alone when I do!" The man then hung up the phone, before Etienne could get a word out. What had he gotten himself into?

MONIQUE COLEMAN

Sheryl looked at the paper that was sticking out of Monique's bag. "What the hell is this?" she asked her daughter. "Nothing," Monique stated. Sheryl looked at the girl. "I'm not stupid," she reminded her daughter. Monique sighed, "I'm going bungee jumping!" she stated.

Sheryl looked at her daughter and shook her head, "No, end of discussion!" Monique sucked her teeth, "But, ma!" she called out and Sheryl only shushed her. "I mean it Monique. I've already lost one person I'm not about to go through that again," Sheryl whispered.

Monique rolled her eyes, "Well, you're going to have to lose another one pretty soon and before that happens she wants a chance to live!" Monique shouts as she exits the house.

Monique started walking down her sidewalk, not paying attention to anything nor anyone. She bumped into Miles. "Oh, sorry!" she said. Miles only smiled at the girl. "Everything okay?" he asked her and Monique only shrugged.

"No it's my mom, she's being to over protective," Monique confessed to him. Miles looked at her, "Hey, I'm pretty sure she's just looking out for you… come tell Miles what's wrong," Miles said as he placed his arm on her shoulder and Monique gave him a weak smile.

SARAH DAVIES

"Sarah, I have no other choice, you're off student council… as well as suspended," Principal Richards sighed as Sarah looked at the woman. "Are you serious, Renee did this and I'm the one getting suspended?" Sarah asked and Principal Richards only looked at her.

"Sarah, how do you know that Renee is the one that did this?" Richards asks and Sarah only crosses her arms. "Like I said, suspension, effective immediately," Sarah gasped and only stood up and walked out of the office.

She spotted Rachel, Vanessa, and Drew who were at their lockers. "What happened?" Rachel asks. "Principal Richards stripped me of my student body president position," Sarah started, but Drew started laughing. "You said strip and it is funny because…" Drew began, but Vanessa started to pull him away, "Let's go!" she said as she left Rachel and Sarah who was glaring at Drew.

"I hate that guy!" Sarah stated. "But, not as much as you hate Renee… so what's the plan?" Rachel asks. "No plan, I'm suspended… I got to go, now." Rachel only looked at the girl. It's official – Sarah Davies has finally been defeated.

ETIENNE DESOUSA

Etienne is on the phone. "Bianca, where are you?" he asked his sister. "Um, at home," Bianca answered him. "Home, what are you doing at home?" Etienne asked her. "Because, I'm sick… oh, do you also want to know what I'm wearing?" Bianca asked, jokingly. Etienne only went silent. Bianca's smile faded, "Hey, Etienne it was just a joke…Etienne?" Bianca continued to say, yet she still didn't receive an answer. Bianca was shocked when the phone was hung up on her. "Oh, well screw you too then!" she shouted.

Etienne hung the phone up on Bianca. It's not like he wanted to, but he had spotted one of the gangsters that he'd gotten the drugs from. Etienne covered his head with his hood as he turned and started walking in another direction to get home. He'd hope that the gangster didn't know what he looked like. Just then Etienne's phone dropped. "Damn," Etienne shouted loud enough to get the gangster's attention.

Etienne looked back and saw the gangster, who glared at him. "Hey, kid!" the gangster shouted as he started to run after him. Etienne quickly picked up his phone and started to dial a number. Etienne placed the phone to his ear as he took a shortcut through an alley, the gangster following him.

Camielle was sitting with her friends and somehow managed to see the whole thing. Camielle then looked worried as she told her friends that she'd be right back. Not knowing what she was about to get herself into.

Bianca was eating popcorn. "Hello?" she said, answering the phone. "Bee," Etienne said on the other end. Bianca could hear him, but they were breaking up. "Etienne? You're going to have to call me back, we're breaking up!" Bianca stated through the phone. "No, Bia…" Etienne had been cut off by the ending of the phone call.

Just then he was grabbed from the back and slammed onto a bundle of trash bags. The man looked at him with a crooked smile and pulled out a gun, "You're dead!" the man shouted as he aimed the gun and Etienne's chest.

Etienne looked at the man, but was surprised when he heard something hit the man in the back of the head and he fell down. Etienne looked at whoever had done it. He spotted Camielle, holding a bat. "Wow," Etienne whispered as he stood up and grabbed Camielle's hand and ran with out of the alley with her.

MONIQUE COLEMAN

Monique watched as clouds passed by. She was actually about to bungee jump. Thinking of the conversation she had with her mother she was a little nervous. But, she remembered her condition – there's no time for nervous. "Ready?" the man asked. Monique looked at him. "As I'll ever be!" she shouted as she prepared herself.

"Monique, wait!" she heard a voice shout, her mother's voice at that. "Ma, what are you doing here?" Monique asks a little upset. "One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." Monique stared at her mother, "Really? Dale Carnegie?" she asked. Sheryl looked at her daughter and they both smiled at each other, "Bottom line, you're not alone… ever." Monique smiled as her mother started to put on equipment to jump with her. "I'm next," she whispers and Monique nods.

SARAH DAVIES

Sarah is crying. She's sitting down on her bed, facing the wall – away from her door. Sarah's mothers' girlfriend – Kelly comes to the door. "Sarah," Kelly states, waiting for the girl's response. Sarah only sat there quietly. "Your mom wanted to know what you plan on doing about this," Kelly tells her. Sarah turns around.

"Really, well she sure as heck doesn't act like it!" Sarah shouts at the girl. Kelly holds up her hands as if she's been defeated. "Look, your mom was just a little furious… she's never dealt with this kind of thing before!" Kelly tells her.

Sarah looks at Kelly, "Well, she didn't have to call me a whore!" Kelly nods, "You didn't have to call her a selfish bitch, did you?" Kelly asked, defensively. Sarah knows she's been defeated – she'd never talked to her mother like that before. Now, here was Kelly – her mother's girlfriend – telling her that they both are in the wrong.

Sarah only smiled faintly, "You're right," she began "I should go apologize." Sarah made headed for her door, but Kelly stopped her. "Kelly," Sarah started. "Listen." Kelly looked at the girl and Sarah sat down on her bed and faced Kelly. "When I was in high school I had a very promiscuous reputation. Everywhere I went I would hear 'slut' or 'whore'… I'm not going to lie some of the names were pretty creative." Kelly said as she and Sarah laughed.

"But, the point is look where I am today. Sure it took a lot of rebuilding, but I found what I was looking for, love. I guess what that means is that you're going to have some obstacles; sure they'll knock you down. But, when that happens, you get back up and you fight like hell to get rid of whatever it was that knocked you down," Kelly said as Sarah nodded and smiled.