Erika Felix laughed crudely at the widescreen LG TV in front of her, pausing her lazy channel surfing to watch ABC 7 news cover the new buzzing headline; 'When Rich Kids' partying gets out of hand.'

The camera panned over kids shaking profusely in cashmere cloths on the dock of Venice Beach, jeering hysterically at the massive beauty of a yacht being pulled on to the opposite dock by a forklift. Erika leaned forward on the Felix's sectional ivy-colored Modern Luxury Summit couch just in time to get a glimpse of Paisely Mont Vernon and Jacqueline Lexington just off to the side of the camera, freezing in their towels but still looking absolutely gorgeous as they drunk from blue mugs of hot chocolate.

The whole scene looked like some kind of frozen get together Erika wasn't invited to - and she hated it. The whole point of sinking the yacht was for them to die miserable.

Then Erika's annoyance only grew when the Barbara Bui-clad reporter strutted over to her former friends, tapping the teeth-chattering Paisely to face the camera.

"Paisely Mont Vernon, daughter of famous 80s supermodel, Daisy Scott was one of the lucky few who made it off the yacht without damaging her Rolex watch," The reporter paused to chuckle but no one else joined in. "But not before calling her chauffeur and getting a helicopter at the scene before even the ambulance could show up. How did you feel when you realized the yacht was sinking, Paisely?"

Paisely's blue doe eyes diverted to something off camera before she swallowed nervously. "I guess I was a little scared."

"And what helped you clear your mind of fear in time to get help?"

"I don't know...I just...kind of...got help.."

The reporter frowned before quickly forcing a rueful smile and turning to the camera. "Paisely Mont Vernon has been named the hero of this tragic yacht story and will be awarded at the Lexington Love Wins Event taking place at the Montage Beverly Hills Hotel tomorrow night."

"Are you kidding me?" Erika gasped at the screen as if she were waiting for the reporter to answer her.

"As for the rest of this story, while there have thankfully been no deaths, over ten kids have been rushed to the hospital after trying to swim back to shore and nearly drowning-"

Erika turned off the TV, chucking the remote and throwing every satin silk pillow in her range at the expensive screen. Then with an exasperated sigh, she literally pulled at her auburn locks - before realizing what she was actually doing and quickly sinking back on to the Ivy couch again.

Erika liked to think she was completely sane but ever since her social death, every once in a while, she fell off the deep end. However she couldn't help it. Her world was spiraling out into some shrine for Paisely and while she knew she was the anti-Christ of prep school, now everyone else had caught on too and had shunned her out of her own kingdom.

Reliving the night became the urge Erika had to throw up the croissant she'd just had for breakfast.

"Miss Erika?" She heard the thick accent of the house maid, Griselda, before the heavyset woman was in front of her, looking tired and wearing the, 'I hate my job,' look as usual with a glass cup of water in her hand.

She handed the cup to Erika.

"What is this for?"

"To calm your nerves, Miss-"

"I am not some kind of head case." Erika snapped, tossing the cup over her head and not even cringing when she heard it shatter on the glossy pearl floor. Groaning in annoyance, she gathered up the Vogue Italia magazines she'd thrown on the Tudor coffee table and headed for the doorway.

"Oh, and clean that up." She called over her shoulder towards the begrudged maid.

As horrible as it was, it felt refreshing to be a bitch to the ever so helpful Griselda. She couldn't be a bitch to anyone else after all.

Just as she was about to head to the Felix elevator for a short two minutes of having a breakdown in privacy, the gold doorbell of the manor echoed through the first floor.

Still clutching her stack of magazines, Erika peeked back into the living room to see Griselda bent over the shattered glass and crying.

"Since you're too busy sympathizing with yourself and not doing your job, I'll get the door." She called haughtily, swinging open one of the ornate doors that decorated the front hall with its two winding staircases and a mason glass elevator at the very center.

Not even looking up, Erika tried to close the door only to have it stopped midway. "No, my father is not supporting anyone in the election."

"Ma'am, are you Erika Felix?"

"Obviously-" Erika quickly stopped herself as she looked up at the shiny glint of a BHPD badge. Two police officers stood in her doorway and there was no way they were here for Damon. Erika usually wasn't prone to showing fear but she gulped worriedly.

"You're under arrest for the damage of the Allenburg's yacht and for injuring innocent people from the following families.." The officer, resembling a stereotypical hillbilly from a movie flick thanks to a bushy brown mustache, looked over the thick manila folder he held in hand and read the offenses. Erika felt a migraine creeping into her head, trying to coax her into fainting.

Was this her ultimate karma? Ending up like Damon? She's far too pretty for....juvie.

"I had nothing to do with that, I-I wasn't even invited to that party." Erika managed, the magazines she carried slipping out of her hands but she didn't care to pick them up. Her eyes scanned over the officer's name tag; Hockes.

"Well we have reasons to believe you were involved," He drawled in his thick, southern accent and Erika wondered how a guy from Atlanta landed a job in Beverly Hills."And your supposed comrade has already confessed."

"Veronica?" She gasped. She was so giving her sex tape with Chris to Mr. Conrad as a birthday gift.

The other officer who looked much younger and reminded Erika of a young Leonardo DiCaprio with messy hair took a step forward, handcuffs dangling in his hand. Erika felt a pit in her stomach."We're gonna need to put these handcuffs on you, miss." He spoke almost apologetically.

"But I'm-"

"If I hear one more person use their wealth as a reason to why they're innocent, I'm quitting my job," Officer Hockes groaned before snatching the handcuffs from his partner. "Being rich isn't some kind of free pass."

Reluctantly, Erika turned around with her hands in the air and the officer quickly cuffed her. "Anything you say will be used against you in the court of law." He snapped smugly as if it just made his day to be arresting the daughter of a Felix.

Her life was already technically over but she didn't want to spend it in a cell alongside a girl with chewed nails and an obsession with something weird like NASCAR or shopping budgets.

It was a known fact juvenile halls were occupied mostly with public school kids. She couldn't imagine who her brother was stuck with but the the possibility that she might find out for herself freaked her out more than Saks having a peasant attracting eighty-percent off sale.

Before Erika could conjure up a convincing, magical reason as to why she didn't need to be thrown into a facility with peasants, the elevator doors behind her opened with a ding! and out came Matthew Felix himself, dressed punctually in a dark blue Milano suit. Erika didn't look like her Dad who eerily resembled her brother at times with his brown-almost black hair slicked back and identical scowl. All Erika had gotten was his hazel eyes which were now narrowing at the sight of the officers.

"What have you done this time?" He scowled, shooting Erika a cold glare that made every ounce of confidence she had left - which was already small to begin with - shatter like the cup fragments in the first floor living room. He had given her this glare a thousand times already but she always felt like crumpling into nothingness on the floor every time.

All her chances of having her father see her for what she truly was; the better sibling, the perfect daughter had been destroyed at the auction. Now all he saw her as was the lesbian daughter and a disgrace, the marring of the Felix legacy.

Officer Hockes read off the list of charges again and Erika could feel her father's eyes on her the entire time.

Then as soon as all the charges were listed, Mr. Felix sighed. "She will not be arrested in my house."

Erika winced. He couldn't even refer to her by her name.

Officer Hockes quickly moved to uncuff her, suddenly less authoritative around the sleek businessman but that was everyone's typical response to Matthew Felix once he entered a room. He'd even made a senator grow weary from just speaking.

As soon as Erika was free, she lingered, wanting to cry just at the fact that she couldn't even cower behind her Dad, wearing a, 'Ha,' look for the officers. He'd probably just push her away like some lost puppy looking for a home.

" But this isn't law abiding! You said being-" The younger officer protested but Officer Hockes hissed lowly before punching him lightly on the shoulder and facing Mr. Felix. "This is his first day."

Matthew pulled out a copper-colored Ralph Lauren wallet from his black trousers, taking out two stacks of hundred dollar bills and looking over each bill before picking out nearly a thousand dollars from each stack and handing the money to the awestruck officers.

He then said the usual line that always got the Felix family whatever they wanted. "Will this cover it?"

Officer Hockes took the money with eyes a man would have when he fell in love.

'He must be really broke.'

"Tha-thank you sir," The other officer stammered, quickly stashing his thousand dollars in his breast pocket. "Good people like you are what keeps the world going. "

"Have a good morning." Mr. Felix said probably in a haste to get the officers out of the door before any of their fellow snooty neighbors noticed there were police officers at the Felix estate - again. Mr. Felix put his reputation at the top of his priorities, even over his children.

"Oh and Mr. Felix, I almost forgot," Officer Hockes stopped directly in the doorway of the intricate entrance, handing his thin manila folder to Mr. Felix then.

Matthew's scowl deepened. "What is this?"

"A notice. The Allenburgs are suing for the yacht along with the several other families for the injuries of their children."

Matthew shot another eerie scowl Erika's way that completely withered her and she could only imagine what he was thinking.

"I see," was all he actually said however, replacing his scowl with a tight smile. It reminded Erika of when she was trying to be an absolute sweetheart to get her way when inside she was dying to unleash the bitch."I think its time for both of you to leave. "

"Of course-"

The composed businessman shut the door before one of the officers could finish their sentence and in the showy arched windows, Erika could see them retreating towards their police car that clashed horribly with her father's luxury vehicles parked in the wide stone driveway, both looking back at the mansion with puzzlement.

Then she forced herself to look her father directly in the eye but he was looking over the notice with disdain.

She tried to find her voice, the sugary sweet one that always used to work but her words came out like stammering croaks. "I'm sure you can handle it, Daddy, its not like you don't have money to-"

"That yacht cost two million dollars."

Erika couldn't help but gasp. "Two million? I-I thought it was only worth...fifty thousand.." The last time she checked the irrelevant Allenburgs weren't that wealthy. In fact, they were almost considered upper middle class instead of one-percenters.

"Two million dollars and the bankrupt Bradleys are trying to sue for eleven million for their daughter nearly drowning."

"Well thats not much." She tried to reason but her voice shook like she was one of those losers who were trying to gain confidence to talk to someone above them. Twelve million wasn't much. Her father's net worth was a thousand times that. He had even made the Forbes list.

However, Matthew only scowled again. "Once again, you have proven to be a disgrace. An inconvenience even after all I've done for you," He said and despite how angry he was, he still looked poised and elegant. It was the type of look Erika strives for. "Even after putting up with all the chaotic damage of your revolting stunt with that...girl."

"Daddy, I told you, it was a-"

"A mistake that has nearly cost me my reputation. At least your brother, Damon, has redeeming qualities. He may have poor lack of judgement but he's talented and has proven to be a perfect successor," He turned his cold look on Erika. "And you're the shortcoming."

The words stabbed deep even though he'd said it a million times before.

"I hope you enjoy this weekend because it will be your last in this household." With that he ascended up the winding staircase, each step he took a blow to what Erika had thought was a heartless chest.

Then she felt it, tears spilling over - and not the pretty, cinematic tears but the messy, snotty tears that she had to use a great deal of control to stop. She slammed the door then and as usual she stomped into the cherry wood, traditional kitchen and immediately raided the walk-in pantry.

Except this time she just slid down to the floor and stuffed her face with Panera Bread cupcakes until she felt too fat to go on. It was a habit she'd been doing since ninth grade and had managed to stop but lately, it was the only kind of control she had.

What she hated most was how her father was always ready to look down on her. Sure, sometimes he noticed how better and hard-working she was than her brother but it was as if her one lesbian hookup had settled his mind about her. Even with her dumb, overachieving, and a screw up of a brother out of the way, she was still the "shortcoming". She was officially the problem child - although a small thought in Erika's head reminded her that she had always been that child from the day she was born.

But she didn't want to think about that.

She didn't care about her old popularity and her immaterial peers laughing in her face. If her father could just see how hard she tried, she wouldn't need anything else because that was everything.

Erika suddenly heard movement behind the door and she came out of the pantry to find Griselda pressing her ear against the marble wall.

"Were you spying on me?" She gasped.

Griselda patted her shoulder, obviously trying to comfort her."Don't worry, miss Erika-"

"Don't you have a job to do? I didn't see you clean up that glass." Erika snapped before shaking off her arm and strutting to the bathroom as if she wasn't about to throw up her moment of sugar overload.

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A/N: If you're wondering where this lovely fanart came from, it was made by rainbowbrook ! She made a few more and I absolutely adore them! This cover really reminded me of Erika because I imagine the items on the cover are something she would wear. (Also friendly reminder to go read her books because if you haven't thats a crime against yourself :D)

This chapter has four parts because I'm splitting one of the character's POVs into two! I'm playing around with the scene-like concept and so far, I 'm liking it :p

And you guess what I always end these author notes with; THANK YOU to those who read and leave their thoughts! You guys make it even more fun! Seriously <3