A/N- Hey guys! I left off with a cliffhanger hoping more people will review (for this one I mean)! Anyway I hope you like and if you read please review it's just very discouraging not to get those reviews!
I thank anyone who has submitted reviews, I am deeply obliged.
And Thank you Demon Dea.
The next two weeks passed uneventfully- that was in the school department.
The social department was a completely different story.
The day after Planet Bang I began hanging out with Serena and her gang. I instantly became a smash hit at school, and I started making more friends than I had ever had in my whole life. Even boys were hanging around me, begging me to let them take me out on a date. Random guys would slip their arm around my shoulder in hallways and walk me to class or ask to carry my bag, though I politely refused each time.
I mean, I appreciated the offer, but I could carry my own bag, thank you very much.
In the hallways I couldn't slip away from people; girls would run up to me after the bell rang, signaling the end of a period. They'd all crowd around me and start chatting to me in loud, high-pitched voices fit to drive a person insane.
My school days were perfect. I was one of those beautiful girls in the movies that was popular and everyone loved- though minus the beautiful part, I still believed myself average.
During the week I grew closer to Serena; we had so much in common, it was almost freaky. We got along perfectly and, I thought, truly thought she could be that one best friend. She understood everything I went through; she understood the pain of having a split family and being different from others. She expressed sympathy for the trials I had gone through in my life.
Oddly enough, even my brother seemed to be getting closer to me, though I suspected it might have only been because I was 'popular.'
Either way, I liked it. Richie was acting how he was supposed to; like a brother, a role model, a shoulder to lean on, a protector. On the weekend, he ditched his friends to spend quality time with his 'baby' sister.
I don't know why he refers to me as baby sister when I'm only a few years younger than him. Now, Alec and Erik, I would have understood.
But on the downside Heather and her group became stranger. They still talked to me whenever they neared me, or when, in a rare case, they found me alone. They continuously bugged me to chill with them, but I always declined their offers, remembering the night at Planet Bang.
I found out things about them through some hands-on research. I discovered that they often went clubbing, and associated with good teens in Christian groups. But it was a weird association. They almost seemed to lure them, then suck them dry of faith.
One girl I remember as simply being a sweet heart. She helped me during my first week to catch up in AP art, and attended my church; an instructor for the three to five year olds. But the next week she sneered at me and started smoking weed.
That was after I spotted her with Ceth at The Dungeon. It was creepy.
They also possessed many friends whom my mother would consider negative influences, people who I quickly became wary of. I tried to avoid them, but they seemed to be invading La Brea High. Every day, two or three kids enrolled at Le Brea.
They weren't normal, either; I could feel it in my bones, and something in the back of my mind screamed for me to stay away. Each time one looked at me my scar would flare up and sting, until I broke eye contact.
I evaded them to the best of my ability, but for some unknown reason they attempted to converse with me and gain my friendship.
In the night I was now edgy, aware of each passing shadow. It was eerie, I was changing in drastic ways for reasons I couldn't comprehend, like something had been hibernating deep with inside my soul, and was now being liberated from its shackles.
Now, more than ever, I was determined to solve the mystery of Los Angles and its inhabitants.
"You can still spend the night, right?" Serena inquired, twisting a strand of her dark brown hair around her delicate finger. She chewed noisily on a piece of pink bubble gum, blew a bubble, and then popped it, sucking the gum back into her mouth.
I nodded, "Yeah, definitely. My mom's ecstatic that Richie and I will be out of her hair tonight, and most of tomorrow. She says she'll finally have a productive day." I smiled over at Serena as she walked beside me.
We had just stepped off from the city bus and were walking languidly to her house.
Serena laughed at my comment, "You can't be that bad." Her green eyes sparkled with underlying secrets, and she released the strand of hair she had been twisting.
I grinned despite myself "Wanna bet on that?" I tilted my head to the side, smiling at her.
She imitated my grin "I've never liked bets."
I chuckled, "That's a good thing, because you would have lost that one. My mom says we generate enough noise to fill the White House. In Canton, our neighbors actually called the police due to the excessive noise at the late hours of the night."
Her eyes widened and she almost choked on her gum, "Damn."
"Tell me about it; we were grounded for a month after that incident."
I reddened; recalling the night when two police officers- not to mention two hot officers- appeared on my doorstep. They lectured my brother and I for a good twenty minutes, and then fined my mom a hundred dollars for the 'disturbance.'
The next day, everyone knew about it, and I received my well-deserved fifteen minutes of fame.
"Here we are," Serena declared, shaking me out of my subconscious.
I looked up and into the face of Serena's home. We stepped up to the front, and Serena pushed open the heavy door. A sweet aroma wafted from the house, filling my nostrils. I inhaled the smell, and closed my eyes; it smelled like delicious baked goods.
"Is someone baking something?" I asked as we entered the kitchen.
"No, not at the moment, and Collin never cooks. You know how it is," She smiled at me, and lowed herself to a seat.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Richie can't even cook eggs," I rolled my eyes, reminiscing of the time when Richie almost burned down the house- and that was only using a microwave.
Serena laughed suddenly and the vision of Richie vanished like rising smoke.
"What?"
"Oh, nothing," she managed to spit out between bouts of laughter.
I cocked an eyebrow at her, and my eyes locked on hers questioningly.
"Just tell me," I coaxed, settling down in a chair across from her.
She smiled wryly and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then snapped it shut and instead shook her head.
I sighed, shrugging my shoulders in a 'whatever' fashion.
I glanced around the kitchen, drinking in every detail. I rotated my head slowly, enabling me to see more. I spotted an ordinary stove, microwave, raccoon, and refrigerator…wait, raccoon?
My head snapped around.
"Oh my God!" I screamed, pointing.
Serena jumped in her seat due to my piercing scream, and followed my gaze to a disturbed raccoon sitting tensely on the counter, his beady eyes wide in innocence.
"It's okay, Delaney; it's only Wally. You act like you've seen a ghost."
"You named it?" I inquired, dumbfounded.
"Well, that's what you do with pets," Serena replied calmly, and she pushed herself from her seat, and began walking over to Wally.
"Pet?" I repeated, astounded. I didn't know it was legal to have a raccoon as a pet.
"Yeah, he's my pet. It's a long story, but the gist is I found him, abandoned, and kept him." Serena picked up Wally from the counter and stroked his fur.
The sides of my mouth twitched, wanting to form a smile. "He's cute."
I crept toward them and lightly petted Wally.
He stretched in Serena's arms, and opened his mouth in a yawn.
"He's tired," without warning, she placed him on the floor and pushed him from behind, indicating for him to move.
Wally took the hint. He scuttled away, turned the corner into the hall and up the stairs.
I looked at Serena.
"So, what are we going to do?"
She rolled her eyes up toward the ceiling looking for an answer.
"I could tell you your fortune," she said slowly as if she really didn't wish to.
"Only if you want to," I replied, the vines of excitement latching to my body. I'd never had my fortune read before, but it was on my to-do list.
Serena shrugged, and clicked her tongue pierce against her teeth. "It's fine. I'll go get the tarot deck."
I glanced at her as she ran out of the room and up the stairs. She seemed hesitant about reading my fortune, and it confused me.
Why would she be nervous?
As I contemplated the question, I perceived a sharp scream from upstairs.
My head snapped in the direction of the hall, and I made up my mind in a split second.
I sprinted into the hallway, whirled around, ran up the staircase and into the upper hallway. I looked sideways, and spotted an open door. I knew that was Serena's domain.
A/N- Like always PLEASE REVIEW! THANK YOU!
I hope to get at least three (lol I know it's low but I really have no idea how many people are reading this) reviews.
