Chapter 1 -

  I slam the driver’s side door out of frustration. I notice rust fall from my crappy 4-door sedan, this car is falling apart, just like me. I look up to view my new school and press my lips together. I don’t want to be here at Willowbrook High, but I have to finish my last year of high school. I look down and kick gravel feeling sorry for myself since my senior year is going to suck. I so hate my mom right now for moving to a new town, she could have waited one more year.

   I look at the high school again beyond the gravel student parking lot. It’s small because Willowbrook is a little town in the Virginia mountains. Butterflies start to fill my belly as I see kids starting to swarm. Some are dressed like mountain hicks and some are dressed in designer clothing. I take a deep breath as I swing my book bag around my shoulder. I scan the back seat of the car as I lean on the driver’s side door.  I’m frustrated, I cross my arms and wait for my siblings to get out of my 4-door sedan from the back. I can see them taking their time getting their book bags, they are stalling from nerves. My foot starts to tap but I try to patience as I watch my brother, Jake, and my sister, his twin Jenny, get out from the back seat very slowly. They both are platinum blonds, have the same chubby build and share the same personality traits. They do everything together. That includes sitting together, playing video games together, and they both annoy me together.

  During our registration for school, my Mother pleaded with the counselors for the twins to have all same classes. The school gave in to her request, so the twins will never have to leave each other sides this semester. I told my Mom they should have different classes so they can find their individuality. I know what’s best for them, not my Mother. I was the person that had to raise them because my parents are alcoholics.

  I sigh, I’m truly getting screwed out of a having an excellent senior year. This year should be full fun, but now I will have to start over making friends, figuring out the cliques, and getting involved. I plan on going to a decent college so I want my applications looking stellar with activities. I scan the school yard and I roll my eyes as I watch the other kids talking with their friends. That is what I will miss most, my friends. I wasn’t a popular girl, just average. Nothing too special about my looks that made me stand-out, well except my height, I’m 5’9”. I was definitely not popular like all the little blond bimbos at my old school. I’m the everyday teenage girl with medium brown straight hair that’s just past my shoulders, I dress ok and I’m athletic. At my old school, I had a delightful group of girls that I hung out with. We had immense plans for our senior year, but now it’s all ruined. I will miss playing basketball and I was a decent player too. I hope I can get on the team at this new school.

  This move is entirely my Dad’s fault.  The sperm donor is what I call him to my friends. He always forgets my birthday, doesn’t care about my schooling and hardly talks to me. My Mom finally got fed up with all his drinking, him leaving us for months on end and his womanizing so she left Baltimore to move away from their toxic relationship. I had a choice to stay with him, so I could go to my old high school back in Baltimore but I was not going to leave the twins alone with my Mother, plus I hate my Dad. My Mom has a major problem with alcohol, just like Daddy. My Mom wanted to escape her life so we moved to Willowbrook, the town where she grew up. We live in a rental house, right off Main Street. My Mom told me that the town had changed since she was a kid. The rich from the surrounding cities started to like Willowbrook’s downtown charm. So, they started to move here. The other attraction to this area is the ski resort just a few miles away in Oakbrook. The ski resort is famous and attracts movie stars and the mega rich from the Hampton who want to see the mountains. The dynamics of this school is going to be interesting.

  Jenny is finally out of the car and looks at me with watery blue eyes. “I don’t want to go to school,” she whimpers to me.

  Time to be a mother figure to her again, so I smile, walk to her and take her sweaty nervous hand in mine. “It will be ok. Jake will be with you all day and I will see you after school. Let’s go my sweat sister,” I say and I give her a hug..

  I lead the way to the front entrance of the school, the twins walk behind me. Like always, I lead them everywhere. “Do you know where you two are going?” I ask them as I look behind my shoulder.

  “Yes, homeroom first,” they say in unison.

  “No, first find your locker. You are both locker partners, right?” I open the front door and see the halls buzzing with other students.

  “Oh yeah, we have to go to the freshman wing. I know where to go,” says Jake. Then he leads his sister and leaves me behind.

  “See you at the car after school!” I call to them and they both flip me the, “Ok” hand symbol as they walk side by side.

  I sigh as I watch them leave. They are going to have such a hard time in high school since they act so weird all the time. I turn on my right heel to head toward the senior wing of the high school. The halls are full of underclassmen that are standing around, goofing off or talking in groups. Trying to get thru the crowd is making me crazy. I finally make it to the senior wing. Butterflies start to fill my belly because I see other seniors dressed in designer clothing. I’m just wearing a white blouse and blue jeans from Target.

  The senior lockers are orange and especially petite. Thank goodness I don’t have a locker partner like the lower classmen. I look at the numbers on the lockers and try to find 245. I look down the hall where my locker should be and my stomach turns, there are two boys talking right next to where my locker should be. One boy looks like a frat boy. He has short blond curly hair, is wearing a pink polo shirt, Converse shoes and designer blue jeans. The other boy leaning on the lockers is more gothic. His hair is long to the nape of his neck, which is a very dark brown, almost black. He is wearing black jeans, a chain wallet, combat boots that are untied, and a black band t-shirt. They are having an intense conversation. I try not to look at the boys as they make me nervous for some reason.

  I follow the locker numbers with my eyes, that figures, the gothic boy is leaning right on my locker. I’m going to have to talk to them.

  “Exceue me” I say to the gothic boy leaning on my locker.

  “Sorry new girl,” says the blond frat boy and he smiles at me. His eyes are such a bright blue. “Move Devin, the lady wants to get to her locker.” Devin, the gothic boy, gives me a dirty look with his deep blue eyes and slides down a few inches, just enough for me to open my locker.

  “I’m Ben and this loser is my cousin Devin,” says the blond while giving me a big smile and he smacks Devin in the shoulder. Devin gives him a dirty look he then folds his arms and stares at me.

   “I’m Rachel. How did you know I’m new?”

  “Well the senior class is only about 150 strong, so I know everyone,” he says while checking me out with his blue eyes.

  “I didn’t realize this school was that small, at my last high school, the senior class was 900 strong,” I say and give him a flirty smile. He is cute and seems nice, much nicer than his cousin Devin, who is staring at me from under his hair, like he is trying to scare me or something.

  “What’s your class schedule?” Ben asks. Cool, he seems interested in me.

  I open my locker and put my book bag in it, “After homeroom, I have science, math, study hall, lunch, gym, and English.”

   “Hmmm, looks like Devin and you have science together and all three of us have lunch, gym and English together,” says Ben still smiling at me and checking me out. I can’t figure out if he is being nice or messing with me now.

  I close my locker after I grab my notebook and pen. “I guess I see you later then,” I say and I go to homeroom. I turn my head to look the two boys and they are both staring at me as I walk away, weird.