I'm watching Lucas and Amber talk, dying to know what they're discussing. If Amber gets Nate and Sophia together, dressing in these stripper clothes would be all for nothing. Eager to have Nate, Sophia asks, "Why is Amber talking to Lucas instead of Nate?" "Relax," says Sookie to Sophia. "Don't you trust in Amber's abilities to get you both together?" I look at Sophia, and gradually, I see her becoming unworried. Amber is not only an excellent cheerleader; she's also clever and knows how to get whatever she wants by manipulating anyone. Behind her back, they didn't call her the devil blond for nothing. She's as trickier as the devil. "They're walking away now. Why are they walking away? To leave some desperate girl to steal my man and, at worst, someone who doesn't suit him. I should be his girlfriend at Effney High." In one squeeze, Sophia crushes the cup in her hand. She's now huffing and puffing. "Oh my gosh, she's having a meltdown. "Help me get her to a seat," Sookie says,
"Everyone, get back to what you were doing, or leave my party if you're going to stand there and stare at my squad member like a complete idiot!" Amber grabs the DJ microphone and starts yelling into it. Everyone immediately obeys, turning their attention away from me. "And if I ever see a video of Jaylee circulating, remember that I'm filthy rich and have the best lawyer out there." "I promise I'll track that person down and sue him or her so badly that they wish they were never born." Amber puts down the DJ microphone and walks off the stage. "Thank you for protecting her, Nate. You're a true gentleman," Amber tells Nate. "No problem," says Nate. Amber then takes my hand, pulling me away from him. "Thank you," I quickly say to Nate before I get away from him. He nods. Amber let go of my hand when we were inside and went to the elevator. "Where are we going?" in a tearful voice, I ask. "To sort out this issue between you and Sophia." "I don't want to." I'm going from the e
Nate opens his car door, allowing me to enter, and as I do, I spot Sophia and Sookie at the front door watching me.They followed us."You floozie," Sookie says with a folded arm, while Sophia glares at me.I look away as the car drives off.The security guard let us out."Stop here," I tell Nate, as he's about to drive past my hidden clothes."Give me a minute." I dashed from the car to the shrubs' backs."Where are you going?" Nate worries."Just give me a few minutes; I just have to do something!" I yell as I'm running."Do you need to throw up?" Nate's eager to know."No!" I yell again as I quickly change into the previous outfit I came in.Nate's gaze fixed on me as I returned."Thank you for waiting," I'm back in the front seat and have shut the door, and like the waves going to the shore, I feel Nate's eyes moving over me.I give a nervous smile as our eyes meet."You're a whole lot of trouble, aren't you?" he says, shaking his head and starting the engine.I couldn't help laug
I toss the car key onto the coffee table, not realizing Mom was fast asleep on the sofa.Frighteningly, she jumps up from her sleep to turn on the light."I thought the party ended at midnight," she says as she sees that it's me."I decide to leave early," I respond.Mom approaches me and stretches to touch my face."I know you miss your old friends, as well as your girlfriend," she says sadly.I nod and say, "It's okay, Mom.""Get back to sleep. You look weary."She nods, and I wrap a hand around her shoulder, helping her upstairs.As we're at her bedroom door, she says, "Thanks Hun, you're a great son."I kiss her on the forehead. She goes into her room, and I go to mine.I strip down to my black boxers. Not feeling sleepy. I grab my laptop from the study desk and lay in bed. I video call my girlfriend Jenna.Immediately, she answers."Hey babe." She sits in the centre of her bed. She crosses her legs. She is adorned in a short blue satin nightgown that accentuates her curly shoulde
"Ms. Amber, you need to eat something," Clara, my maid, says, entering my room.She's parted the curtain; the sun shines in my eyes, and I pull the sheet over my head."It's Saturday. You should be out shopping with your friends and not in bed at noon," she says.I stare blankly beneath my sheet."Do you want me to call your therapist?" Clara asks."No," I say, falling back into deep silence."Is she having another mental breakdown?" At the door, Terise asks Clara.Unlike Clara, who has been working here since I was in my mom's belly, Terise has been a maid for three months."No, I'm not," I say, raising my voice. I don't want them to think so.They didn't believe it."Should we try to call her parents?" Clara asks Terise, worried."They won't answer. They never do." I say it sadly as tears stream down my eyes."Well, do you want us to call your boyfriend Tristan?" He always seems to cheer you up. "Terise is afraid that I will have another emotional meltdown.The last time I did, they
Mom drops me off at school. As I'm about to open the car door to get out. Automatically, she locks me in.Upset, I turn to her."I want this silent treatment between you and me to end," Mom says.I'm not in the mood to talk to her or anyone else."Mom, please open the door. I need to get to school," I demand."No, I'm not going to open the door until things are good between us."I lower my back into the seat and fold my hand."I know you're angry with me because I didn't send you the party," she says.I snicker at how oblivious she was to the fact that I did go to the party."I'm just trying to protect you as a good mother."I turn to her and say, "Are you finished now?" Frustrated, she exhales hard, seeing that it's hopeless for her to speak to me.She opens the car door, and I hurriedly leave, slamming the door.I'm aware that she's looking at me as I walk away, so I make haste to get out of her sight.I immediately enter the girl's bathroom, lock myself into one of the stalls, and
The second session has ended, and as I'm leaving the classroom, Lucas, still seated, is encircled by Toby, Jones, and Max, also swim team members. He's showing them something on his phone. They're engrossed in whatever they're watching, appearing to enjoy it because of the satisfied smile on their faces.Lucas catches me staring."Nate, come here; you have to see this," he says.I'm curious to know what they're watching, so I go over to them, and I'm stunned to see an explicit video of Lucas receiving oral sex from a girl."What a whore!" Toby says as they laugh at her."Was she even a virgin?" Max asks Lucas."I'm convinced she was a sex worker," Lucas responds, and they all burst out into laughter.I don't like the video, so I walk away."Hey, where are you going?" Lucas ask."Lunch," I say as I'm still walking."Wait for us," says Lucas.***Lucas was showing the video around the table while we were having lunch, and I was angry."Is that what you do whenever you hook up with a gir
My squads crowd the bathroom. While a few are on their phones, I and the others are touching up our makeup."Our cheering video has already garnered 5 million views on Instagram," Sookie jumps excitedly."Let me see." I close the lid on my red lipstick right after kissing myself in the mirror.Sookie hands me her phone, and I look at it."2 million in 1 hour is poor," I say disappointingly, giving her phone back."Well, it's still good, though." Sookie is content with the video's performance."Whatever," I re-checked the lipstick on my lips, making sure it was okay.My personal Instagram account had acquired more than 5 million views in 1 hour for just showing my feet. I expect our cheering videos to do more.A nobody entered the bathroom, and I glared at her. She nervously halts at the door, staring back at me."I really need to pee," she said, her voice trembling with nervousness."Like, I care." "Go and use the boy's bathroom or the janitor one," I command, and immediately she goes
Tristan had been my biggest crush since the first time I laid eyes on him in class during our first year at Effney High. I recall stealing glances at him when his attention was glued to his book, wishing it was me he was so focused on. I used to be overwhelmed with wonderous feelings whenever he walked past me in the school's corridor, until he no longer had that same effect after sharing my first kiss with Nate.Tristan's head remained lowered as I walked over to him.Even when he's drunk, I still get nervous around him."Tristan," I call as I stand before him.He slowly raises his head, and as he does, he rakes a handful of hair from his face, brushing them backward, like a hot character from a teenage romance movie—making my heart skip a beat, which I find attractive, despite the fact that he was extremely intoxicated."What do you want?" His bewitching blue eyes looked at me for a second before drifting all over the place, unable to stay focused.I never had a conversation with hi
It's the weekend; I should be hanging out with a friend instead of laying in bed mulling over a guy who doesn't want me. It's almost evening, and I'm still in my pajamas.Forcing myself out of bed, I go to stand before the mirror. Combing a handful of hair out of my face, I notice myself in the mirror.Why didn't Nate fall for me instead of Sophia? I think downheartedly.Weren't I beautiful enough for him? Walking away from the mirror, I fall backward on the bed.I believed being a HotShot cheerleader and walking among the popular ones would give me the privilege to get any guy I wanted, but it didn't. If Sophia hadn't gotten in the way of Nate and me, things might have turned out differently for us.What am I thinking? I reach for the pillow covering my head.Nate had admitted he had no feelings for me, so there was no hope of us getting together if Sophia wasn't in the picture.But why Sophia, though?Out of all the girls at school, he had to choose her. I wish it was someone else,
I'm coming from Mom's car when Amber shouts my name. Amber is at the side of the school building; her phone is at her right ear; she is talking to someone; and Sookie stands beside her.I approach her, and she hangs up the phone. Amber smiles at me, and it doesn't feel right. She's up to something, and I know it."How is everything about getting Nate to be your boyfriend?" She asks, then places an arm around my shoulder, drawing me to her side.I caught Sookie with a smug on her face, and I was certain that Amber was up to no good.The aching memory of Nate turning me down after I had confessed my true feelings to him struck my mind, and I lowered my head."He has a girlfriend," I tell Amber."And so, you decide to give up," says Amber.Keeping my head lowered, I give a sad nod."Well, his relationship didn't stop Sophia from chasing after him," Amber says, maintaining a straight gaze.I lift my head to see what she's looking at, and my eyes widen to see Sophia sitting in the front se
It's Saturday, and I'm outside mowing the lawn when Mom pops up with a cup of water.Stopping, I turn to her and take it, quenching my thirst."Thanks," I say, handing her back the cup.She takes it and starts to play with the end of her hair, twisting it around a finger, and her eyes, as dark as mine, scrutinize the areas I'd mowed.She does this when she's nervous, and I find out she wasn't just there to give me a cup of water; there was more to it."Mom, is there something you want to tell me?" interestedly, I ask.Quickly, her eyes jump to me, and worries mixed with fear take over.Finding out what she wanted to say, I angrily resumed mowing, refusing to hear anything.She runs in front of the lawn mower. I stop, almost running her over."I could have hurt you," I growl."We have to talk about this, Nate," she says, standing firmly before me."I don't want to hear anything you have to say about that man!" I'm walking away."Nate," she chases me down."How long have you been talkin
For an hour, I had Sophia in my arms; she'd fallen asleep.My phone vibrates. I retrieved it from my pocket.Training late, Mom texted.No, I'm with a friend; I'll be there soon. I texted back.Okay, come home soon.I put my phone down and watched Sophia sleep. She's beautiful when she sleeps, and I find myself developing feelings for her.I wish I could let her sleep more in my arms, but I must go."Sophia." I gently touch her shoulder."Hmm," she moans, her eyes open."I'm sorry, but my mom needs me," I say."It's okay," she says, sitting up and rubs her eyes."Should I take you home or leave you at the gas station?" I ask.I'd hate to cause any more trouble for her and her mother."At the gas station," she says.I nod.As we arrive at her stop, she says, "Thank you, Nate, for being here for me.""My pleasure, and feel free to call me whenever you need someone to talk to again," I say with a smile.She's about to open the car door to leave."When are you coming back to school?" I as
It's Tuesday, and I'm at swimming practice. Brimworth, the coach, approaches me as I get out of the pool."Nate, your phone has been ringing like crazy for about an hour. Go and see who it is. It must be something very important for someone to be calling like that," he says, walking off.I was worried something might have gone wrong with Mom like Dad finding out where we lived. I ran to the locker room and burst open my locker with the wildest thought that Dad had her lying on the floor, choking her.There's a possibility it can happen. I left her at home, not feeling too well, and she probably heard him at the door, though it was me.Fishing my phone from my backpack, the worries fade away when I see it was Sophia calling thirty times, and no missed call from mom, which means she's okay.I return Sophia's call. After the incident with the sex buyer, I haven't heard from her, nor has she been at school. It's good to hear from her now."Hey Nate, I'm sorry I haven't answered any of you
"Jaylee, it's time for us to leave," I hear mom call downstairs.I remained to sit on the bed, not wanting to go."Jaylee, I said I'm ready!"With an ache in my heart, I get up, stamping my feet angrily, and leave the room.Mom looks at the top of the stare, and she's furious.I stop."Can't I go to the school at Dad?" I say."Jaylee, I don't have time for your childish behavior anymore. I'm late for work, and we need to leave now," she says, walking to the front door to open it.I sigh and start running down the stairs.On the road, all I can think about is not seeing Nate at school.When I arrive, I look around for his car. Thankfully, there was no sight of his car. Which means he wasn't here yet. I remove my seatbelt and dash from the car."Goodbye," I heard my mom say as I did."Yeah," I say.After confessing my feelings for Nate, I plan to hide him whenever I see him. I am still humiliated after he turned me down.The first session of school is going great until the second class.
It's Saturday, and Sophia still hasn't replied to my Instagram message. I'm worried something might be wrong with her. The guy may have come back and hurt her.Exchanging numbers before I left her house yesterday, I called her. The phone kept ringing and went straight to voice messaging.Thinking she may be busy with some Saturday chores, I decided not to call her again. After all, I was going to pick her up at her house this evening. She was supposed to show me around town since I'm new here.Hours have passed, and it's almost time for me to pick her up, and she still hasn't returned my missed call. The worries grow."Where are you going?" As I'm coming down the stairs, Mom asks."I'm going out.""With whom, a girl or a boy?" She studies my outfit. A blue long-sleeve shirt, black pants, and a grey and white Jordan.Playfully, she sniffed my Calvin Klein cologne, and I laughed.Her face then turns serious as she finds out for herself that it's a girl."You know I don't like cheating m
Pulling up into the driveway, I spot my mom's car.She's here early, I thought.I park the car and go to the front door, opening it. I hear Mom in the kitchen, and I go to see her with some papers while she uses the calculator."Hey honey, swimming practice kept you late at school today?" She turns to ask as she senses me."No, I was out for a while," I say, and my attention is kept on the papers as I approach her.Mom gathers the papers, along with the calculator, before I can see what they are."I bought your favorite chicken pizza for dinner; it's in the oven," she says as she walks out of the kitchen."Mom, what are those papers?" I stop her, and she turns around."Nothing I can't handle, son. Just focus on your school and swimming," she says with a smile, and I spot worries in her eyes.I nod, and she hurriedly walks away.My mom has never had to worry about money because my dad is wealthy. I know it's going to be hard for her to learn how to handle everything on her own. I need