Hello! Okay, you know the usual...hope you enjoy, I love you all, and I'm sorry this chapter is short and jumbled. SHOUTOUT to "anon", a reviewer whose review literally made my day and helped me write this chapter. I'm so sorry for what you're going through :( But I'm glad I could make your day just a little better!
So, I got a review a few days ago saying that a lot of you had given up reading my story because I take too long to update. I hope that's not true! I honestly do try to update as much as I can. But I have other stories, and school, and homework, and volleyball...the list goes on and on! So I'm sorry if I take a long time, but I'd NEVER desert you guys. You just have to understand that I can't always update super fast. And if you read this whole rant/explaination...I love you :)
Again, sorry this chap is really...odd. But I'm planning on making the next one like BOOM, really dramatic! Oh, and I don't own anything.
Sutton couldn't remember the last time she had ever felt abandoned.
Well, there was one time, when she was seven, when her mom left her alone in Bloomie's for all of five point two seconds—those were the scariest five point two seconds of her life. But then her mom had come rushing back with tears in her eyes, apologizing like crazy; and Sutton had gotten a new dress and new sparkly shoes out of the whole deal…so, yeah, that didn't really count.
This was different. This was like someone was stabbing a Prada heel into her chest and twisting it around. It hurt that much. And nawt because she'd been forced to watch Monica fake-kick and fake-cheer for forty five minutes— it was because her friends had just left.
Poof! Gone like body fat after a four-hour Zumba marathon. They were her support, her anchor. But they ahb-viously didn't see it the same way.
"Hey," a cold hand tapped her softly on the shoulder, "Are you okay?"
Sutton knew the voice…but that didn't make her feel any better, "Yeah," she stared at the bright green grass under her feet. It was swaying and moving along with the breeze, carefree and beautiful. I wish I could be grass, then I wouldn't care about anything.
Ehmagawd, what am I saying? Snap out of it, Sut! These are your friends. They need you!
"Are you sure?" Monica moved to stand in front of her, hands on her hips.
"Why are you being nice?" Sutton blurted out.
Monica looked offended…but then her face transformed into a smile; a real smile. Nawt a fake smile that she usually wore—but a genuine, beautiful curve that made Sutton realize why Monique tagged along beside her even she acted like a PMS spokesperson, "Because you're an alpha. Even though it may seem like I hate you, I don't. I could neh-ver hate someone so much like me."
Sutton pinched herself, expecting to wake up cocooned in her pearl-pink silk sheets, with her body comfortable in her goose-feather mattress. Why was Monica being so…nice?
"Friends are fickle. Remember that. Don't trust anyone."
Don't trust anyone…
But the girls were her best friends. They were always there for her. When she'd broken out in blackheads; the girls had been there with three bottles of Proactive and skin-cleansing aloe. When her fish died after seven years, the girls held a small funeral and even messed up their manicures to dig a tiny grave in Sutton's backyard. Why should this one time mean anything? It was just a misunderstanding.
Suddenly, everything clicked into place. Monica was trying to trick her! By tearing her and her friends apart, she would have the upper hand! She was manipulating their entire friendship! Sutton stood up straight and took in a huge breath. This was nawt going to happen.
"Monica, I think you should—" but she stopped abruptly when she realized that no one was behind her. The field was empty. And Sutton was left standing there; alone, in her new shoes.
Could this get any worse?
Remember what I said about life answering your questions…even if you'd rather not know the answers? Well, this is one of those moments.
It started to rain.
::
"Should we really keep something this big a secret from her?" Cecilia bit down on one already-ragged nail.
"For the last time, yes!" Elle licked her finger and creased the corner of her latest issue of Vogue Italia. "This will just add pressure, and does she need any more of that?"
"No…"
"Then the answer should be ahb-vious, girls! We need to keep this a secret. We'll try and unravel who the mystery girl is later! Right now; we need to focus on explaining ourselves to Sutton."
Elle spoke so confidently that Cecilia almost was convinced by her words…almost.
What if she doesn't understand? Or worse…what if she finds out?
"Cecilia," Yumi's gentle voice and vanilla-lavender scent instantly calmed Cecilia down, "Do you think Sutton is a monster or something? She's stubborn and a little harsh, yeah. But she cares about us. Trust me, everything will be alright."
"You're right," Cecilia offered a smile, "I'm just being overdramatic. Sutton is one of the most understanding people I know!" she tossed her curly hair over her shoulder and tuned into Elle's latest scheme.
"I have no other solution to this problem," she began in a fake-solemn voice, "The only thing to do…is tell the truth!"
The girls stare at each other; puzzled.
"It took you that long to think of that solution?" Cory asked.
"Well, yeah! It's not like—"
"That long? I could have thought of that in two seconds!" Yumi started to crack up. Her Lash Blast-mascara coated eyelashes running with tears.
"Yumi, you'll ruin your makeup!" Cecilia, ever the mother figure, scolded her.
"It's…just…too…funny!"
Cory and Elle shared a puzzled look, "I don't see what's so funny." Cory checked her pearl-white teeth in her compact mirror, "We should be thinking, nawt joking around, Yumi!"
"Sorry, sorry," Yumi took deep, Zen-inspired breaths, "I didn't mean to laugh; I just think it's so funny that we're so worried about Sutton. I mean, she's nawt that kind of—"
"Nawt that kind of what?" Sutton's clipped voice sliced through the air like her mother's new Wolfgang Puck kitchen knife.
"Person! Nawt that kind of person! You know, the kind that gets mad for no reason—"
"Thanks," Sutton cut across her smoothly, sitting on a leather bean-bag with a long sigh, "Why do you guys look like you just chugged a gallon of Starbucks?" she tied her hair into a loose ponytail and smirked, looking innocent.
The four girls shared nervous glances, "Um, Sutton—" Cecilia's voice could be mistaken for the squeak of an ah-noying little mouse.
"Don't worry, girls." The alpha stared each one of her betas straight in their perfectly lined eyes, "It was nuh-thing. I get it; you were bored and you wanted to leave. What do you think I am, Hitler?" she giggled, standing up and brushing off her jeans, "You know me better than that! And anyway, I saw right through Monica's little scheme."
"What scheme?" Yumi's voice was the loudest.
"Well, she's trying to break us apart. By, like, making me think that you guys were betraying me. She thought I'd get mad, and we'd break up. But her head is too clogged with deep-conditioner to realize that our friendship is tighter than Jen Aniston's backside. Right, girls?" with one last flip of her hair, Sutton declared the conversation done, done, and…
Wait, you guessed it, done!
Wow, Cecilia was literally speechless, How can she go from making us feel horrible; to making us feel ah-mazing? She's…too good. Better than anyone I know. But she's sweet, too.
You're nawt off the hook, yet! A little voice snarled in her mind, She still doesn't know your little secret about the—ahem—mystery girl, now does she?
"Ehmagawd," she gasped aloud.
Elle stopped and stared at her, "Hey, Cee, are you alright?"
Cecilia pushed the thoughts out of her head, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just…tripped."
Elle giggled and put her arm around the smaller girl, "Be careful, we don't want you knocked out right before the big par-tay!"
Cecilia smiled shakily; but inside something gnawed at her—if Sutton found out, would the alpha take it upon herself to personally knock out each of her betas?
She didn't even want to think about it.
You know, Cee, denial isn't just a river in Egypt.
::
"But I look fat!"
"You look fine, Elle," Yumi groaned, pulling a silver sparkly mini skirt over her head.
"Why couldn't we have gone somewhere else, Sutton?" Cecilia shoved a leopard pair of jeans out of her face, "This place is way too Nightmare on Elm Street for me."
The girls were currently trying to find the perfect outfit to wear to Monica's party. But, as expected, thingsneh-ver go as planned with our girls.
"Do nawt compare this stylish French boutique to a horror show!" Sutton's voice was muffled by the huge pile of hanging clothes she was searching though.
"How about this?" Cory pranced out of the dressing room with something that resembled paper after the paper shredder draped over her body.
Yumi snorted, "You look like Elle took a pair of scissors to your…um…dress?"
"Is it even considered a dress?" Elle whispered back.
"Unless you're going as the entertainment to her party, I would nawt suggest wearing that…thing." Sutton went back to digging furiously through the forest of clothes.
Cory gazed at herself into the mirror. Her eyes were wider and bluer than usual, contrasting perfectly against her still-tan-from-soccer-practice skin, "I thought it looked okay." She mumbled.
"You look gorgeous, Cory," Elle assured her friend, "But, under the circumstances, I think we should wear something a little more…classic. Right?" she whisper-hissed the last word at Yumi and Cecilia.
"Oh, duh!" Yumi yelled, just as Cecilia shouted, "Ah-mazing!"
Sutton snapped around, dropping a nude tube-dress in the process, "What are you guys shouting about—?" suddenly, her eyes grew round and she straightened into a ramrod.
"Monica," she hissed through a fake smile.
The girls didn't have to turn around to know that the eight-grade alpha was behind them.
"Hey, chicas!" her smooth voice was unmistakable, "Didn't expect to see you guys here at the mall on this lovely evening."
Sutton allowed herself a small half-smile, "We're here shopping for your party. Even though your nawt as cool as you think; I still want to look good for all the eighth grade boys who might be there."
Monica giggled, "You're so funny, Sutton!" after another burst of laughter, she reached into her Fendi clutch and pulled out five laminated VIP tickets, "These babies are for you." She held them out in the air.
"Ehmagawd, thanks!" Sutton reached up to grab them, but Monica snatched them away.
"Nawt yet." Her tone was menacing now, "Remember, girls, I still need a date. These," she waved the tickets around, "Aren't permanent."
It's obvious what she did after that—she strutted away with an air of smugness around her. But what wasn't normal was the smirk Monique gave Yumi when she thought no one was looking. But, of course, someone saw.
Someone always sees.
"How could she!" Elle stomped on a pair of red heels, "That…bit—"
"Elle, stop," Sutton commanded firmly, "She wants to get under our skin, that's all. Just ignore her. We'll get Aaron, and we'll get into that party. We're fine."
"But—"
"Hey, Cory," the alpha turned slyly to her beta, ignoring Elle, "How are Xavier and his friends doing?"
Yumi gasped, "Ehmagawd, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
Sutton shrugged, "He's Cory's brother. We'll have to see him and his friends sooner or later, right?" but she winked, and everyone knew what that meant.
::
Yumi dragged herself across the plush floor rug to her canopy bed, feeling worn. Today had been an exciting day…and that was an understatement. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep.
Ping!
…after she checked her IM.
The dark-haired girl sighed and opened the little icon; but the sender's name was just a jumble of letters and numbers.
But when she read what the IM said inside, her cheeks went hot—and her fingers went cold.
Remember, Yumi, no lady ever kisses and tells…
This is re-uploaded from last night because I messed up on somehting, but hopefully only shadowgirl1029 will know! But anyway, I'd like some feedback from you guys: In your review tell me if you'd be interested in reading a sequel. Like, maybe a summer vacation setting? Just give me some of your thoughts on that.
I'll update ASAP. Oh, and you guys are ah-mazing!