Disclaimer: I own all the characters in this story.


~Chapter One~


The Stein Estate

Madeleine's Bedroom

9:29 A.M

Sunday, September 1st

Staring at her reflection in the long, white-framed, three-way mirror for a long moment, Madeleine Stein leaned against her medium white, glass desk with matching freshly-lacquered drawers and tilted her head, fully inspecting her reflection. Frowning for a bit, she moved her delicate fingers to the white Jennifer Behr satin-and-silk knotted headband that rested on the top of her head as Madeleine adjusted the headpiece so that it sat evenly on her long, silky honey-blonde curls. Madeleine felt immediately grateful that her hairstylist, Maxwell, was able to make a house call this morning. Shortly after Madeleine had gotten her hair done by Maxwell, she'd emptied just about half of the contents of her massive two-story circular walk-in closet, flinging random articles of clothing all about her room.

After changing outfits for the umpteenth time, she finally settled on a simple, dark-blue Ted Baker fit-and-flare dress. It was embellished with a sparkle-dusted collar, and she paired the outfit with a thick, white leather belt. Her feet were adorned with matching dark-blue Tory Burch ballet flats, and a small white Tory Burch tote rested on the crook of her right elbow. Her ears were adorned with pearl studs as she straightened the signature pearl necklace she wore around her slender neck.

Knowing that her ensemble was classic and elegant, Madeleine went for a more natural makeup look. With a deft hand, she applied a touch of MAC clear lip gloss on her lips, light black Shiseido waterproof eyeliner across her lids, Bobbi Brown mascara to her long lashes, and a stroke of NARS Laguna bronzing powder blush for a soft bronzed glow across her even-toned skin.

Content with her flawless reflection, she turned away from the mirror and grabbed her signature perfume bottle from her vanity table. Spritzing herself with Chanel Chance perfume, Madeleine placed her bottle of perfume on her vanity and pushed in her white cashmere director's chair, which she had converted into a vanity chair instead.

She glanced down at her white Pomeranian, Coco, who was lying across her velour doggie bed. A bed that was far too expensive for a dog to be seated on. Padding over to her dog's doggie bed, Madeleine knelt down, wrapped her arms around Coco, and got up from the floor with her puppy in her arms.

Madeleine smothered Coco with kisses as she tenderly pressed her against her chest. "Good morning, Coco," she greeted her dog with a soft grin on her face. "You are just the cutest little thing!"

Coco responded with a bark.

"And loudest, apparently," Madeleine added with a giggle before kissing Coco on top of her little black nose. "Anyway, Coco, Mommy has to go," She played with the La Jeune Tulipe diamond dog collar around Coco's furry neck. "So, I'll see you later, baby."

Placing Coco on the polished hardwood floor, Madeleine stared at her dress, making sure that it was completely free of dog hair. Then she grabbed her purple iPhone 12 from her nightstand and shoved it inside her purse. Walking out of her bedroom, Madeleine left the door half-open for her family's maid, Ingrid, who would have to clean up the mess in her room.

Racing downstairs, she grabbed a Luna bar from the kitchen's pantry and shoved them inside her purse. Just as she was about to step outside of the large front door, Madeleine noticed that her mom, Margaret Stein, was walking toward her. Throwing her designer handbag over her right shoulder, she tucked a long, curly lock of hair behind her right ear.

"Hi, darling!" Margaret greeted her daughter warmly as she gave her daughter a giant hug.

Madeleine broke away from the hug. "Hey, Mom," she called brightly, her perfume pervading the air. "Do you know where Daddy is?"

Margaret fiddled with the white double-strand pearl necklace around her slender neck. "How did you sleep last night?" she asked her daughter, pointedly avoiding Madeleine's question.

The younger blonde rolled her emerald-green eyes before she responded to her mom's question. "I slept just fine last night," she said nonchalantly. "Now, where's Daddy?"

Margaret ran her manicured fingers through her sleek, chestnut-brown shoulder-length bob. "He's probably on the way to work," she remarked to her daughter, shifting her black iPhone 12 from one manicured hand to another. "Before your dad left today, he told me that he'll be busy with meetings all day, and said if I want to talk to him today, I should leave a message with his secretary."

Madeleine nodded at her mom as she tucked a long, curly lock of hair behind her left ear. "Okay, Mom," she nodded.

Margaret raised a thin eyebrow in her daughter's direction. "Why so dressed up? Going somewhere special?" she asked playfully, straightening her sleeveless midnight-blue DKNY sheath dress.

"I was planning on having Nick drop me off at Coffee Bean and then drive me and Scarlett to the mall," Madeleine replied. Then she looked down at her outfit, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "What? Do you think I've overdressed?"

Margaret gave her daughter a wry smile that was followed by a chuckle. "Darling, there's no such thing as overdressing." She took a seat on the pristine, white couch behind her. "Have fun at Coffee Bean." Margaret nodded at her daughter, crossing her slender legs together, and placed her folded manicured hands on her lap. "Anyway, darling, your father has made reservations at Uptown for Tuesday night. Just the three of us."

"Got it, Mom," Madeleine grinned at her as she showed her mom her perfect white teeth. "I'll be sure to mark it on my calendar."

Margaret glanced at her iPhone's bright screen. "Madeleine, if you still want to make it to Coffee Bean by breakfast, I'd get going."

Madeleine adjusted her headband before pushing her purse even higher on her right shoulder. "Okay, Mom. See you later."

Waving 'bye' to her mother, Madeleine was about to open their front door when her family's butler, Milton, opened it for her instead. Blinded by the intense sunlight, she pulled a pair of oversized white Dior sunglasses out of her tote and slipped them on. Inhaling deeply, Madeleine marched through the fallen leaves gathering on her family's circular driveway.

Looking around the freshly-trimmed front lawn, she spotted their family's driver, Nick, waiting for her by the family's black Range Rover. The family driver was busy staring at his black iPhone 12's screen and apparently hadn't taken notice of his bosses' daughter approaching him. When Madeleine arrived at the edge of the driveway, Nick had finally stopped looking at the screen of his iPhone and stuffed it into the left pocket of his shirt.

"Good morning, Miss Madeleine," Nick greeted Madeleine, opening the door for the girl. "Where to today?"

Madeleine tossed her tote into the backseat of the car. "Coffee Bean," she said before stepping into the car gracefully. "And then straight to the mall. Scarlett and I have some shopping to do for her parents' party."

"Very well, Miss Madeleine," Nick nodded in understanding as he still held the right-side black rear door open for Madeleine.

Once inside the Range Rover, Madeleine slid across the buttery soft leather backseat while she settled into the seat that was between the space of the driver's seat and the passenger's seat. Immediately, she quickly dumped her purse on the adjacent seat beside her and crossed her slender legs together. Pushing her sunglasses on top of her head, Madeleine buckled her seat belt.

Moments later, Nick settled into the driver's seat, dropped his iPhone into one of the cup holders in front of the car, and pressed on the ignition button which started the engine of the Range Rover. Pulling out of the driveway, he drove the car down the street of Lower Bryan Lake Road.

Digging her iPhone out of her tote, Madeleine unlocked her cell phone and opened the Calendar app. She quickly filled in her reservation details into the Calendar, as her mother had asked her to do. Switching apps, Madeleine clicked on the Seventeen Magazine app and started scrolling through the latest issue of Seventeen, which had an airbrushed Alexis McKnight on its cover.

She was equally mesmerized by both the sun-kissed models on the glossy pages, and the intriguing 'How to Get Your Crush to Like You' article. Minutes later, she bookmarked page twenty-three, deciding that she'll finish reading later tonight, and turned her cell phone off. Dropping her iPhone back into her purse, Madeleine tugged nervously on the hem of her dress as she shifted her attention back to her driver.

Madeleine shifted into a comfortable position in her seat and uncrossed her legs. "Nick?"

Nick stopped the car in front of the red traffic light and adjusted his black Dior tie, which was a Christmas present from Madeleine's parents. "Yes, Miss Madeleine," he said, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Madeleine examined her dark navy-blue nails. "You think I'll make any friends at my new school?" she inquired, her emerald-green-eyes lit up brilliantly.

Nick sped across the same traffic light that was turning from yellow to green. "Miss Madeleine, I'm sure a lovely young lady like you will have lots of friends," he answered, making a conscious effort to pay more attention to the road.

The young girl bit her lower lip in disappointment. She wasn't stupid. She knows that Nick's answer was nothing more than the typical-adult-response. "Thanks," she muttered.

Fixing her attention back to herself, Madeleine pressed her right manicured index finger into a button that flipped an oval-shaped mirror from the ceiling of the car. Her mood instantly bettered, her reflection sending her heart fluttering again. Sometimes, she couldn't believe that she was blessed with good genes from her parents. Her loose curls cascaded down her back, her toned skin practically glowed in this lighting, and her cheekbones are so sharp, they could cut ice.

I look beautiful, she thought.

Satisfied, Madeleine pressed the same button to return the mirror to the ceiling of the car and pulled a Lemon Zest Luna bar from her tote. Unwrapping the bar, she took small, delicate bites until she finished the snack. By the time she finished the snack, Coffee Bean came into view. She sat up straighter in her seat and looked out the car's tinted left-side rear window as Madeleine unbuckled her seat belt.

A couple of seconds later, Nick pulled the Range Rover up to the cement curb, while he kept the car's engine running, and turned to face Madeleine. "I'll be running errands for your father," Nick informed Madeleine as he shifted into a comfortable position in his seat. "Call me when you're ready to be picked up."

Madeleine twirled a long, curly lock of hair around her left manicured index finger. "Will do," she said, grabbing the door handle of the right-side black rear door as she dismisses him with her voice.

Climbing gracefully out of the car, the intense sunlight nearly blinded her as she slipped her sunglasses back on. Closing the door behind her, she watched as Nick pulled away from the curb. Taking a deep, calming breath, Madeleine adjusted the thick handles of her tote before she rolled her shoulders back and proceeded to prance towards the frosted glass doors of Coffee Bean.


Westchester, NY

Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

10:35 A.M.

Sunday, September 1st

Grabbing her usual table by the coffee shop's glass windows which overlooked the streets of Westchester, Madeleine slipped off her sunglasses and tossed them into her designer handbag. She dug through her purse for a moment before retrieving her monogrammed wallet. Tucking her Saint Laurent wallet under her left arm, Madeleine walked over to the counter and stood in line behind a bunch of preppy middle school kids, who were all crowding around one of the store's registers.

Since she was going to be first soon, Madeleine already decided to get one of her favorite lattes: an extra-large vanilla chai latte with almond milk, extra foam on top, and heated to one-hundred-seventy degrees. After looking over the menu, she decided to pair the latte with a low-fat cranberry orange muffin. Seeing that the middle school kids had all gone to accept their drinks at the end of the counter, Madeleine stepped into the vision of Alice, the usual barista that always took her order.

"Hello," Madeleine greeted the barista with a wide grin on her face as she removed her wallet from under her left arm. "I'll have an extra-large vanilla chai latte with almond milk and extra foam at 170 degrees," She straightened her dress. "Oh, I also want a low-fat cranberry orange muffin with my latte."

"Okay," Alice nodded as she entered Madeleine's order into the register. "Uh... that would be thirteen dollars and 97 cents."

"Thanks," Madeleine replied as she rifled through her wallet and pulled her gold Amex from it. Tapping her credit card against the reader to pay for her latte and baked goods, she saw that the transaction went through and placed her credit card back inside of her wallet.

"Your order will be ready in about ten minutes," Alice said.

Nodding at Alice, Madeleine marched down to the area where order pickups were. A couple of minutes later, in her right hand was her latte and her other manicured hand was a small brown Coffee Bean paper bag that had her low-fat cranberry orange muffin inside. Moving to the other end of the counter, she grabbed three Splenda packets from a giant bowl of sweeteners and ripped it open with her pearly, white teeth.

Shaking them into her latte, Madeleine tossed the empty Splenda packets into the trash can. Turning on the heels of her flats, she sashayed back to her designated table and placed her drink and pastry on the surface of the table. Stuffing her monogrammed wallet into her tote, Madeleine slid into her seat and pulled her muffin out of the paper bag, and placed it on top of two brown napkins. Settling back into her seat, she scanned the coffee shop for a particular girl with icy-blonde hair.

Her eyes scanned the coffee shop for a few moments before settling on a certain blue-eyed girl dressed in a sleeveless ivory Ted Baker skater dress. The girl in question was also looking around the coffee shop, her sharp icy-blue eyes trying to settle on Madeleine.

"Scarlett!" Madeleine called out.

Scarlett's sharp eyes immediately flickered with recognition as they settled on her friend. A warm smile graced her face as she made her way over to the empty seat beside Madeleine. She placed her extra-large cinnamon vanilla latte with soy milk, extra foam, and heated it to 200 degrees on the table. Hanging her red leather Michael Kors satchel off the back of her chair, Scarlett pulled her low-fat raspberry scone out of the paper bag and rested it on top of three brown napkins.

Madeleine pinched off a piece of her low-fat cranberry orange muffin and popped it into her mouth. "I'm glad you made it," she said.

Scarlett took a long swig of her cinnamon vanilla latte. "You kidding?" she replied with a chuckle. "I wouldn't miss our weekly Coffee Bean breakfasts for the world."

"You ready for school to start?" Madeleine questioned.

"Honestly?" Scarlett replied. "I'm not really looking forward to it."

Madeleine nodded. They went to the same school last year, and boy was it hard for them. Despite their very apparent wealth, the duo had become a target for bullying the previous year.

"So, we're going to the mall later?" Scarlett asked, taking a dainty bite out of her scone.

"Definitely," Madeleine answered with a giggle. "I mean, we need to shop for new dresses for your parents' Labor Day Soirée."

Scarlett smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. "If there's one thing in this world Madeleine Stein loves more than her dog, Coco, it's shopping."

It was Madeleine's turn to grow a smirk of her own. "And if there's one thing in this world Scarlett Wilson loves more than spending time with her best friend, Madeleine Stein, it's binge-watching Riverdale."

"You leave Riverdale out of this," Scarlett rebuffed playfully, her grin growing wider on her face. "It has so much angst, and it just feeds my soul," she replied melodramatically, her hands clutching against her chest.

Madeleine rolled her eyes at her friend and smiled. "C'mon, Scar," she said as she popped the last bite of her muffin into her mouth. "We need to head over to the mall before it gets too late."


The Westchester Mall

Ted Baker Dressing Area

5:51 P.M.

Sunday, September 1st

Grinning into the three-way mirror, Madeleine cocked her head to the side as she examined her latest Labor Day dress option: a sleeveless mid-blue Ted Baker high-neck scalloped tunic dress. Loving how the dress looked on her, she turned away from the mirror to consult with Scarlett. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted large shopping bags from Nordstrom, BCBG, Michael Kors, and Vince brimming to the top with neatly folded clothing.

Madeleine twirled around the dressing room, and the dress's full skirt fanned out. "Does this dress say 'Labor Day Soirée'?" she asked Scarlett.

The blonde in question was sitting against the wall next to her dressing room, staring at her red iPhone 12's bright screen, and sipping her caramel latte. Scarlett looked up from her iPhone and examined Madeleine with laser focus. "It practically screams it," she mused.

Madeleine gave a half-smile, looking over her reflection once more. As she smoothed out the creases in the Ted Baker dress, she raised a perfectly waxed honey-blonde eyebrow at her friend. "By the way, did I tell you I got a call from Lindsey Grayson and Avery Prescott last night?" she smiled coyly at her friend, taking a long gulp of her matcha green tea latte. "They said that they wanted to meet me on Wednesday."

A beaming grin quickly broke out across Scarlett's face. "Oh my god!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "I can't believe that the legendary Avery Prescott and Lindsey Grayson want to meet you," Scarlett pulled Madeleine in for a giant hug. "What time is this meeting?"

"It's at 10:30 A.M.," Madeleine answered her friend's question as she broke away from the hug. "Why do you ask?"

Scarlett stared deep into Madeleine's emerald-green eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, Maddy, according to some of the gossip I've eavesdropped, the eighth-grade and seventh-grade Queens always get together sometime before summer starts and choose the next sixth-grade Queen from the list of legacies," she told her friend. "I absolutely believe that they chose you so our social lives are set for life."

"Oh my god!" Madeleine exclaimed, skipping around the dressing area in happiness. "That means they've already picked me to continue the notable legacy of the other sixth-grade Queens."

Scarlett watched as her friend expressed her joy. "I think you need a second-in-command," she hummed, the implications thick in her tone. "You know, just in case you get sick or something," she added quickly.

"You're right about it," Madeleine said. "I think that I'll create my court with you as my second-in-command."

"You sure?" Scarlett asked, a teasing tone to her words. "I may be too much for you to handle."

"We'll see about that," Madeleine returned. "But on a more serious note, we need to come up with a glorious name for my court."

Scarlett dropped her steaming drink in the space between her slender legs as she sat up even straighter. "How about the Glossy Posse?" she suggested, inspecting her ivory-white nails.

"Uh- no," Madeleine shut down quickly. She started pacing the ivory plush carpet of the Ted Baker dressing room and touched her right manicured index finger to her chin. "What about Beauty Queens?"

Scarlett lifted the cardboard coffee cup of her caramel latte to her glossy lips and downed its contents in one gulp. "Love it," she replied.

Madeleine stopped pacing around as she reached for her matcha green tea latte and chugged its contents in one gulp. "I'm a genius," she mused to herself.

Before Madeleine could resume her conversation with Scarlett, she noticed that two petite blonde salesgirls had walked into the dressing area.

"Can I help you girls with anything?" the two petite salesgirls asked Madeleine and Scarlett in unison. Their name-tags read Frankie and Lucy.

Scarlett stopped staring at her iPhone's bright screen and stood quickly from her spot, cell phone still in her left hand. "Yeah, I'd like to ring up the dresses in my dressing room," she replied, walking back into her dressing room.

"Same for me, as well," Madeleine said as she walked back into the dressing room. She changed out of the dress she was trying on and whipped them on top of a pile marked 'Yes'. Walking out of the dressing room with her tote slung over her left shoulder, Madeleine left the room, holding an armful of Ted Baker dresses she knew would fit her classic fashion style. "I'm taking everything so I'm charging it to my black Mastercard."

Scarlett walked out of the dressing room, also holding an armful of Ted Baker dresses she thought fitted with her classic fashion style. "Same thing for me, except I'm charging it to my platinum Amex."

After about ten minutes of watching the two salesgirls ring them up, Madeleine and Scarlett found themselves near the exit of the mall.

Madeleine glanced at her silver Apple watch, which had a purple wristband around her thin right wrist. "The mall is closing in five minutes."

"Why don't we just head home then," Scarlett suggested as she crossed her arms over her chest as her large shopping bags banged against her left thigh.

Madeleine nodded in agreement and reached into her purse for her iPhone. "I'm calling Nick now."

Asking Siri to call Nick, Madeleine pressed her iPhone to her left ear as it rang three times before Nick finally picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" Nick's deep voice rang through the microphones of Madeleine's cell phone.

"Hey, Nick," Madeleine greeted her driver. "It's me."

"Hello, Miss Madeleine," Nick greeted Madeleine back. "Do you want me to pick you girls up now?"

"Yes, Nick," Madeleine answered her driver's question.

"I'll be there in ten minutes," Nick said before he ended the call.

As soon as the line went dead, Madeleine turned her attention back to Scarlett before she turned her iPhone off and dropped her cell phone back into her tote.

Madeleine played with her pearl necklace. "C'mon, Scar," she urged, starting to walk gracefully towards the doors of the Westchester Mall. "Nick is going to be here in ten minutes."

Scarlett tossed her curls over her left shoulder as she gracefully followed behind her friend by walking towards the doors of the Westchester Mall. "Fine, Mads!" she hissed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Anyway, I need to get home to watch Paradise on TV."

"Isn't that the new teen drama that's airing at 8 tonight?" Madeleine questioned as she pushed through the glass doors of the mall and held it open for Scarlett.

Scarlett walked out of the glass doors of the mall and started heading towards the edge of the cement curb so Nick would know where to pick her and Madeleine up. "Um, yeah," she replied, pushing her large shopping bags even higher on her right arm. "The only reason why I'm watching it in the first place is that one of the leads, Tanner Mellott."

Madeleine crossed her arms over her chest and followed Scarlett to the edge of the cement curb as her large shopping bags banged against her left thigh. "Didn't he do this show about him taking the place of his dead twin?" she asked her friend, stomping her right foot on an empty Starbucks venti cup.

"Um, yeah," Scarlett said as she touched her friend's left shoulder with her right hand, making sure that she'd didn't fall under the weight of her large shopping bags. "At least, it was canceled after airing only one season."

Madeleine completely tuned out whatever Scarlett was saying to her as she glanced around the nearly-empty parking lot and immediately noticed that Nick had already pulled the Range Rover into the mall's parking lot. "Nick's here," she announced.

Moments later, Nick pulled the car up to the curb, while he kept the car's engine running, and remained in his seat.

Once inside the Range Rover, the girls slid across the buttery soft leather backseat and dropped their large shopping bags on the floor. Dropping their designer handbags on the adjacent seat beside themselves, they buckled their seat belts, crossed their slender legs together, and sat up straighter in their seats as Nick pulled away from the curb.

Nick pulled the Range Rover out of the mall's parking lot and started driving the usual route to Scarlett's house. "Well, Miss Madeleine and Miss Scarlett, It seems you girls had a lot of fun shopping today," he replied, glancing in the rearview mirror.

"Um, yeah," Madeleine said before fiddling with the embellished collar of her dress and shifted her attention to Scarlett.

"Totally," Scarlett told Nick before shifting her attention back to Madeleine.

Madeleine saw that Nick had completely returned his focus to driving the car to Scarlett's house as she combed through one of her Nordstrom's shopping bags and pulled out a blush Alice + Olivia layered mini skirt. "Oh, this would look cute with a blazer and a blouse," she grinned, holding it out so her friend could comment on her style note as usual.

"Maddy, it's really cute," Scarlett commented as she uncrossed her slender legs and pulled out a White Chocolate Macadamia Luna bar from her designer handbag. "Oh, I'm borrowing that skirt in the future."

Madeleine shoved the skirt inside one of Scarlett's Nordstrom shopping bags before she examined her painted nails. "Scar, you can have the skirt now," she told her friend, uncrossing her legs.

Scarlett unwrapped the Luna bar. "Why?" she inquired, taking small, delicate bites until she finished the snack.

Madeleine stared at the car's touchscreen and noticed that it was half-past eight so she and Scarlett wouldn't make the premiere of Paradise. "It's not working with my skin tone," she responded to her friend's question before noticing that the blonde in question was staring at her iPhone's bright screen. Staring out the tinted window, she observed as nannies ran after their charges across the well-maintained lawn.

After a few minutes later, Nick pulled the Range Rover into Scarlett's family circular driveway but kept the car running as he turned around to face the girls.

"Miss Scarlett, we've arrived at your home," Nick announced, readjusting his tie. "Do you need any help with your bags?"

"No, Nick," Scarlett answered as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the right-side black rear door before throwing her purse over her left shoulder, grabbed her large shopping bags, and climbed gracefully out of the car. "Bye, Maddie!"

"Bye, Scar!" Madeleine exclaimed as she turned towards the open the right-side black rear door. "I'll text you later."

"Okay," Scarlett nodded as she closed the door with her right foot.

Waving bye to her friend until they halfway down the road, Madeleine closed her emerald-green eyes as she felt that Nick had turned into another street. Feeling completely wiped out, the only thing that Madeleine wanted to do was soak into a warm, bubble bath.


The Wilson Estate

Kitchen

11:27 P.M.

Sunday, September 1st

Sliding into a dark mahogany swivel bar stool that was tucked under the marble countertop island, Scarlett Wilson grabbed a low-fat chocolate chip cookie from the small basket of freshly baked cookies — courtesy of the family's chef, Marino, which sat in the middle of the island and took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie. She started to switch on the TV, but the sound of her mom's heels that clicked and clacked on the polished marble floor made her drop the remote.

Scarlett's mother, Carol Wilson, kissed her daughter on her left cheek. "When did you get here?" she asked as she slipped off her heels and dumped them near the doorway of the kitchen.

Scarlett flipped her curls over her left shoulder as she took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie in her right hand. "Two hours ago." She gave her mother a glance. "Where's Dad?"

Carol grabbed a chilled bottle of Smartwater from the fridge, opened the bottle of distilled water, and sipped some of it. "Your father's got some work to finish up," she said vaguely. "He said he'd try to be home later."

Scarlett raised a perfectly waxed icy-blonde eyebrow at her mom's statement. "So, he's staying at the office tonight," she translated, trying to keep her tone breezy.

Carol took another sip of her Smartwater. "Don't be mad, honey," she told her daughter. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"It's okay, Mom," Scarlett said with a sigh. "I'm already used to it."

Carol placed the bottle of Smartwater on the marble countertop of the island and planted her manicured hands on her hips. "How did your little play-date with Madeleine go?"

Scarlett shoved the rest of the chocolate chip cookie into her mouth and inspected her painted nails. "We met at Coffee Bean today," she informed her mom. "Then we went shopping for the perfect outfit for the party tomorrow."

"Good, good," her mother noted. Suddenly, her phone started ringing, startling both ladies. Her mother took the phone into her hands and gave a look to her daughter. "Sorry, I've gotta take this call."

Scarlett didn't respond and watched her mother walk into a different room, talking to somebody on the other line. Taking a white gold-trimmed dinner plate from one of the kitchen cabinets, Scarlett piled some chocolate chip cookies onto her plate and seized a bottle of fruit punch-flavored Vitamin Water from the island. Holding her plate of cookies in one hand and her cold drink in the other, she walked out of the kitchen and hurried to the winding staircase.

When Scarlett reached her spacious bedroom, she closed the bedroom door with her right foot, dropping both her plate of chocolate chip cookies and her drink on her right-side nightstand. She had begged her parents until they finally allowed her to redecorate her room this summer, and now it's her favorite place in her family's house.

Her entire room was covered in a red, black, and white combo — three walls of her room were painted white, and the wall behind her white headboard was covered in black diamond-printed wallpaper. The silk sheets on her bed were white, and her fluffy oversized red king-size duvet lay across her king-size bed. A Multitude of fluffy, white, goose-down pillows rested against her headboard, and three red neck-roll pillows were placed in front of the other pillows.

In between her walk-in closet and her private bathroom was her vanity table with theater lighting around the mirror. The black table had her makeup stored neatly inside of her Chanel makeup bags and bottles of Gucci perfume were placed on top of the table. Beyond her French closet doors stood her massive two-story cherrywood walk-in closet stuffed with the latest designer clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories, which had several large white Moroccan poufs in the middle. Backed against the wall next to her walk-in closet was her long, white-framed, three-way mirror.

On both of her white 'Dillwyn' 2-drawer nightstands were bright-red table lamps standing on either side with a single white intercom speaker, a white round digital alarm clock, her silver iPad mini, and her Apple wireless charging case that was holding her fully-charged AirPods inside. Above her large black geometric trophy case filled with first-place dance and academic trophies was her black 60-inch flat-screen smart TV. Underneath her small bay window was her window seat. All five, red velvet throw pillows were resting against the thickly padded seats.

Above the seats were custom bookshelves filled with glossy fashion magazines, reading books, and textbooks for the school year coming. Over her white tufted 'Blanchard' upholstered king-size bed hung a large, rectangular white picture frame that had an enlarged picture of herself inside. In the middle of her medium white rectangular coffee table was a tall, crystal Waterford vase filled to the brim with red orchids.

Hanging all over the walls of her room were ornate rectangular picture frames of colorful drawn art of shoes and handbags. Behind her coffee table was her custom, red tufted chaise lounge covered in a white cashmere throw blanket and several red Moroccan throw pillows, which sat in the corner of her room with matching white end tables on either side of the chaise lounge. Next to her desk was a white porcelain ceramic wastebasket filled with some trash such as price tags etc. Automated thermal curtains hung from curtain rods to block out the windows. Casting a soft white glow over her room was a small Swarovski crystal trimmed chandelier.

The polished cherry hardwood floor was covered with a spread of white Moroccan rugs. Behind some more French doors was her very own en-suite bathroom. Skincare products were perfectly lined across the marble countertop of her white single bathroom vanity. On the other side of the bathroom was an oversized walk-in shower with multiple nozzles, so her body would constantly be sprayed with water without her having to keep turning.

Outside of the shower and hanging from two chrome wall robe hooks were a couple of light and fluffy bathrobes. Next to her shower was a traditional, white oval-shaped cast-iron double-slipper tub, facing another flat-screen TV. Next to her tub was a sleek, criss-cross legs end table with open storage that was filled with fluffy monogrammed towels. The heated Turkish marble bathroom floor gleamed with perfection. Next to her bathroom was her medium white, glass Montclair desk. On the tabletop was a twenty-seven-inch, silver flat-screen iMac, a wireless Apple mouse sat next to her wireless Apple keyboard, a white Hello Kitty pen holder filled with red faux-fur pom-pom pens was right beside her computer, a neatly-stacked pile of spiral notebooks sat near the far edge of her desk, and another black picture frame was filled with a picture of her and her parents sat in the other corner of her desk. Finally, hanging behind her desk was the white scallop-framed pinboard that was filled with outdated party invitations and pictures of her and Madeleine.

Collapsing on her bed, Scarlett rolled on her side and breathed in heavily. Just as Scarlett was about to grab the TV remote from her bed, A ding came from her computer. Taking her iPhone from her bed, she plopped down on her desk chair, dumping her cell phone, Vitamin Water, and plate of cookies on her desk. Taking a deep breath, Scarlett pressed her wireless mouse, which woke up her computer from sleep.

She noticed that Madeleine had sent her a text message. Choosing to acknowledge her friend's message, Scarlett clicked on Messages and read her friend's text.

Madeleine: Hey, Scar! Did u get home safely?

Scarlett: Yea. I just came from the kitchen with some snacks to eat in my room. What about u?

Madeleine: Same.

Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie from the plate and taking a giant bite of it, Scarlett swallowed the cookie and instantly sent her friend a swift reply to her text message.

Scarlett: Since the party is 2morrow, do u want 2 get ready at my place instead of yours?

Believing that Madeleine would come over to her house, Scarlett popped another chocolate-chip cookie half into her mouth and washed it down with a long sip of her Vitamin Water as she saw that her friend replied promptly to her text message.

Madeleine: Of course! Just make sure that there are some snacks 2 eat, while we're getting ready for the party 2morrow. I'm coming over 2 your house at 2:30.

Scarlett: Kay, Maddie. I've already asked my hairstylist 2 include another hairstylist and two makeup artists into the house call he'll be making in the afternoon 2morrow.

Madeleine: Thank god! At least, I'll only have 2 worry about getting dressed for the party.

Scarlett: Me too! I'm going 2 take a shower before going 2 bed tonight. C ya 2morrow!

Madeleine: Scar, I'll c ya 2morrow too!

Scarlett was delighted that Madeleine was coming over to her house tomorrow, grasping that her room had to be cleaned by her family's maid, Elsa. Rising swiftly from her seat, she padded over to her bedroom door as Scarlett laid the empty plate and bottle of Vitamin Water outside of her bedroom door so Elsa would take them to the kitchen. Marching into her all-white bathroom, Scarlett brushed her teeth and turned her shower on. She peeled her clothes off, dumping them into the hamper. Moving into the steaming shower, Scarlett quickly washed her body with lemon custard-scented shower gel and turned the shower off. Wrapping herself in a fluffy red Ralph Lauren monogrammed towel, she tucked in the end, drying off as she twisted her damp curls into a messy bun.

Opening the French closet doors to her closet, Scarlett stepped into her dark walk-in wardrobe and clapped her manicured hands together so the lights in her closet would turn on. Abandoning her towel on the plush red carpet for Elsa to pick it up, she slipped on her black In Bloom by Jonquil lace-trimmed racer-back camisole and matching shorts. She looked over at her outfit for tomorrow, which was styled on a custom-made mannequin in her room which her parents had bought for her.

She smiled as she observed that it looked just as gorgeous as it had in the mall. Immediately after patting herself on the back for choosing the most flawless outfit for the party tomorrow, Scarlett clapped her manicured hands together so the lights in her room would turn off, and climbed into bed. Slipping her silky red Blissy sleep mask over her eyes, she snuggled under her duvet and closed her eyes before falling asleep a few moments later.


Author's Note:

Hey, everyone! This is my first story on this website, and I've been outlining everything for the last six months so it's extremely close to my heart. This means that I've put a ton of work into this chapter, and would appreciate it if you could read and review the chapter. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the next one will be out soon. See ya later, beauties!

~FashionLeMode~