"That's lame!"

Her mind screamed at her to shut off the dang alarm and get up. She had been laying in the warm bed for nearly ten minutes, wrapped in her plush comforter, but her daily torment await her tired soul and she slowly sat up. To be accepted, she would have to be accomplished and for that, she told anyone who asked that motivation was the key. Motivation, however, was often quite scarce at an hour of the morning so early even the sun had yet to show its warming rays. With her natural blond hair webbing in front of her face, she sleepily stomped from her room and made it to the bathroom. After a warm shower, she managed to make in down the stairs and start some coffee, which brewed as she decided what to wear. She had to look pretty and show enough to be noticed without being labeled a s**t. Of course, there would always be the jealous few who called her such things anyway, but everyone knew they complained about everything, so only their own kind listened.

Driving was cool, but few students used their cars to get to school. Most took the bus, which had its ups and downs. She hated having to be ready on time, but if she was not driving, her mind could wander. Occasionally people took naps, but the horrendous volume of the old engine and the squeal of the brakes woke them up every time as the old yellow vehicle begged to retire. Year after year, no one listened to its pleading and it was too faithful to give up on its work and the children needing to get to school and back.

"Oh, I'm late!" A few moments after stating this to no one but herself, she hurried out the door with her coffee. Around eight minutes later, the squeaky-braked bus slowed to a complete stop and leaned back on its tired wheels. The doors opened and shook back and forth before the short-skirted blond tiredly stepped on. She took her usual seat in the back and sat quietly. Despite being quite full, no one sat in her seat and no one spoke to her. They feared her too much for the damage that could be done to their reputations and school-wide images to want to be on her bad side, much less disturb her in the morning when they could not think easily and they had no idea what might set her off.

"Hey, Christy!" She had the most obnoxious, drawn-out greeting and called Christine the nickname both girls knew she despised over all others. She was Christine's best friend.

She dreaded the sassy call of her friend, as any non-popular person in the school did, but Christine smiled brightly at the made-up blond.

"Jaycee!" Her voice held excitement. Then she saw them. Christine had slowly begun to loathe every accessory worn by the school's most popular girl beginning just a while ago, but the hatred was steadily growing. Jade-studded hoops that day. Jaycee always wore something rather over the top in every outfit but always managed to make it work. That would make a little sense if she repeated, but she never wore the same outfit more than once. Everyone had depths, layers and layers of personality yet to be known, but Jaycee had always been about only what she saw fit in the world: looking amazing, seeming amazing and making all other beings her slaves.

"How have you managed to do it yet again?" She asked with a touch of surprise. "You're always the best-looking girl in school and everything just looks lesser now that everyone has seen you."

Every smile she gave in return to a compliment was smug. Almost a smirk, even, but no one could seem to understand they did not have a 'perfect Jaycee'. She had to be praised every morning or the perpetrator of starving her pride would be cruelly punished. She had many of the students beneath her hand and she loved it. Perhaps that was the cause of much of the suffering of the miserable, though innocent, nothings.

"Of course I do, but thank you for the reminder. Your makeup doesn't look as amateur today."

Wow. Mirrors always made Christine puke when she saw her reflection without makeup, but her heart was really crushed beneath the weight of that comment. With every look or glance her way from people walking past, she wondered more and more how hideous she truly was. She could see the look on the blond face so many loathed as the school queen waited for affirmation of her kindness, so she would have to hide her tears and think quickly before there were terrible repercussions. Christine managed to smile. Though her attempt was weak, it was more than enough to appear thankful.

"What might I do without you?"

"Let's not get into that, dear," she answered softly with a small shake of her head. "There's going to be a surprise test in Geology today and you're going to need your spirits up so you can focus on it."

Christine smiled the same false show of happiness she had used for years and practiced for far too many uncounted hours. "Of course."

"How did you know about the surprise test?" Katty, as they called the light-brunette born, was the one who spoke. She was Kaycee's other best friend but to oblivious, or perhaps too dumb, to realize that she was the less valued of the two as Christine was considered to provide better services that Kaycee deemed necessary of all her 'friends'.

"Doesn't that kind of ruin the entire point of a surprise test?"

Jaycee giggled that oh-so-annoying, 'how cute you are, being so dumb' giggle.

"The point of a surprise test is to worry the lesser people once they find out so they, in shock, won't be able to think straight. When their grades lower because of it, the teacher looks like he's doing his job because most people get the questions right on the finals when they had more time to study."

Katty watched her friend's face for a moment as her own slowly grew in surprise. "Wow... how did you find out about the conspirakee?"

"Conspiracy," Christine corrected, almost interrupting the nasty blond and receiving a glare for it.

"Really, it was easy; I am one of the smartest girls in school!"

Someday, Christine hoped to pop that ego right in her made-up face. But now was not the time. Their first class of the day was history. Thankfully, that was never boring.