Amy Baudelaire stood in the mirror, scrutinizing every flaw, every blemish on her body. She took a deep breath as she gave her appearance a final look-over. Straight, honey blonde hair hung straight to the middle of her back, piercing green eyes were outlined in a fine rim of blonde lashes and her clothes were ironed and pressed with detail. She wore a pair of silky khaki cargo pants with a pink wife beater. Grabbing her backpack, Sophia ran downstairs. She gobbled down a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice. She was heading out the door when she heard her mother's voice.
"Stop right there young lady." Sophia Baudelaire walked down the stairs, a mug of coffee in her hand. "Where's Charlotte?" Amy groaned as her mother mentioned her cousin. Damn it, she thought. I thought I was going to be able to leave without her. Amy scowled as she returned to the kitchen table. She sat at the table, staring at her hands while her mother gave her a lecture. "You know your aunt and cousin have been very generous, letting us move in with them after your father passed away. Charlotte has even switched schools so you'll feel more at ease. I want to see your chin up from now on, young lady and stop being such a spoiled brat!" Amy sighed. There goes Little Miss Perfect coming down the stairs now.
Charlotte Davenport took a deep breath before coming down the stairs. Honestly, she didn't want to face her cousin. Ever since Aunt Sophia and Amy had moved in, everything had gone downhill from there. Charlotte had been against the move from the start. "Charlotte, my sister and your cousin are going through a horrible time right now." her mother had said. "You know how much they loved Uncle David, they need a new start. Sophia was telling me that everything reminded her of him. Come on, be a trooper." So Charlotte had adjusted, Charlotte had been a trooper. She hadn't even complained when her mother had suggested she change schools from her lush private school where she knew everyone and everyone knew her to the plain, boring Degrassi Community School. She knew she'd face a whole new slew of questions. "How can she be your cousin? Youre…well, black!" Charlotte's mother, Sophia's sister was Italian. Charlotte's father was from Senegal, in Africa. They had a baby and the baby was well, Charlotte. Charlotte's parents were divorced, her father was a high powered lawyer who tended to business all around the world and her mother was a former model, her parents had been divorced from the time she was two and she never really saw her father.
What made things worse, was Amy's constant bad attitude. Charlotte had put up with it at first, but now she couldn't stand it. Every five seconds, Amy would make some rude comment about how perfect Charlotte was. She also constantly talked about how Charlotte didn't have a boyfriend. The first Friday she was here, she made fun of her relentlessly. Charlotte didn't mind not having a boyfriend, she figured boys were there to reassure you about how pretty you were. This was the only thing Charlotte knew about herself without doubt. While Amy was pleasant-looking but not spectacular, Charlotte was threateningly pretty. It was something she'd accepted, just as her hair was black and her house was white. Her hair fell in shiny black curls to her waist, her eyes were large and the color of violets. Her skin was a smooth color, like coffee with milk, she was tall and thin with a nice body.
"Good morning Aunt Sophia, good morning Amy!" Charlotte called, opening the refrigerator. It was hard for Amy not to call back a sarcastic comment but she bit her tongue. "Good morning Little Miss Per--, I mean…erm, ready for school?" Charlotte smiled. "Yes, but a bit nervous." She downed her glass of orange juice. "Bye Aunt Sophia!" Amy rolled her eyes as she headed out the door.
"So do you know the way?" Amy asked. Charlotte smiled. "Yep, I think I do." Amy nodded. "Just so you know, I'm not going to be hanging out with you when we get to Degrassi." Amy said. Charlotte frowned. "Okay."
Amy looked at her to see how easy she could make Charlotte cry. "See people like you are down here," she put her hand by her knee. "And people like me are up here.", she put her hand a couple of inches above her head. Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. "You know what Amy? I wish you'd never moved in with us."
"Well if my dad hadn't died," Amy said, squeezing out a few fake tears. Charlotte was infuriated. "Cut the crap Amy! I know you're not crying, and stop throwing a pity party for yourself. Do you see my father around?!" Amy rolled her eyes. "No, because he's having sex with someone else." Charlotte turned around and slapped Amy on the cheek. The two girls walked to Degrassi in silence.
"Excuse me, where's the principal's office?" Amy said, laying the charm on thick for a startled and scared looking grade seven. He adjusted his glasses. "Right there," he said shakily, then ran off. Amy laughed simultaneously with Charlotte. Each noticed the other laughing at the same time and stopped. "Hi," Charlotte said, grinning. She handed the secretary a piece of paper. "I'm Charlotte Davenport and this is my cousin, Amy Baudelaire. We're both new students." The secretary grinned, there was some lipstick on her teeth. "Yes, today is the first day of school. Welcome to Degrassi!" Charlotte grinned while Amy winced at the cheesiness. "Well each of you will be placed with a companion that will help you make friends, guide you to your classes, etc. This is usually two people, one of the same sex and one of the opposite sex. One of these people has half your classes, while the other has the other half. So, Charlotte you will be placed with," she glanced at her paper. "Terri and Jimmy." She looked up and smiled. They're both lovely people. And Amy, you'll be spending the day with Ashley and Marco. Also genuinely nice people. Alright they should be coming anytime soon."
A girl with very short dark hair and blue eyes entered the room. "Hi, you're Amy?" she said. Amy nodded. "Yes Amy Baudelaire." Ashley struggled to hold back a laugh. Who does this girl think she is? Royalty? A wiry handsome Hispanic boy came in next. "I'm Marco." he said, smiling. Amy seemed happy as she walked out the door.
Terri arrived next, a thick, yet beautiful girl with pretty brown hair. She seemed really nice. "Hi," she said. "I'm Terri!" Charlotte smiled. "I'm Charlotte but most people call me well…Charlotte!" Terri offered a sympathetic look. "You must really miss your old school." Charlotte nodded. "Yes, but I love new experiences." Jimmy came in ten minutes later. Not too shabby, he thought with a smile on his face. Not shabby in the least! "Jimmy," said the secretary. "Nice you showed up, but you never were one for punctuality." Jimmy smiled. "I missed you too Ms. Hoschlinger. Terri!" he called. Terri seemed ecstatic. "Jimmy! So we're touring her together?" Jimmy smiled. "Guess so." Charlotte frowned noticing the sparks fly between the two. "So are you two…" Charlotte said as they walked into the hall. Jimmy and Terri exchanged a laugh. "No way, Terri here and I have been friends since first grade." Terri sighed. But I'd like for us to be more than friends. Terri sighed as she followed behind Jimmy and Charlotte. Always in the back, always behind.