DRAMA QUEEN

CAST

LEO "JACE" MCCLURE

17/18

ROXANNE "ROX/ ROXY" ROSINCHY

15/16

ROSE MCCLURE

15/16

HAZE WATERS

16/17

PRESENT

AUGUST 1, 1989

"Dave, please don't make us late or I'll just walk." I say to my stepdad, though I don't refer to him as my stepdad. More of just a random guy who lives with me.

"Stop yelling at your father, Roxanne Rolly Rosinchy!" She says and I scoff, "I'm calling Leo and asking him if he can drive me there." I say, going over to the phone bolted on the wall and punching in their number.

After my dad died two years ago, my mom immediately started dating. As if that was normal. Apparently getting a widow drunk the same night her husband died is real charming. He was the only thing that really saved me from my stepdad, Leo I mean. Leo always came to my rescue even when I didn't need it. He would be there for me, and I don't know why.

He also only let me call him by his real name, Leo, he made everybody else call him Jace.

"Roxanne don't call Jace to drive you to this! We will drive you to that dinner, we will do the work, you're so spoiled.. remember we have to go too." My mother says and I shake my head, putting the phone back on the wall, away from my ear, and groaning.

"You know how I feel about anybody except him driving me places." I say and she rolls her eyes, "Get over yourself."

Every Thursday night our families get together and have dinner, the Rosinchys and McClures of course. Our families have been friends since me and Rose became friends when we were 5.

Of course the McClures are slowly trying to distance themselves from my guardians though. They used to be amazing friends but now.. my family has just drastically changed to say the least.

And every single time Dave makes us late, trying to do his hair or pick out an outfit or saying he's not going this time because he never liked those damn McClures. And every time he looks at me he scowls. I hated Dave, though my mom is a great person when she isn't all Dave this! Dave that! Oh I love Dave!

I groan, pulling down my flowing dress and walking into the bathroom. My house was as expected when 99% of the time the lord of drunk resides in it. It was basically as Rose and Leo call it, a crack house.

Or a crack den whichever you prefer there is no judgement in the crack house.

But god do I wish my mom would get a new husband to live in the crack house, one that would make it a crack home.

I'm funny.

My hair was a medium length fluffy brown, and it got all over my face all the time if it was clean, it never got out of my face. My face was sharp, with red rosy lips and a freckle under my lip on the bottom right side.

I slowly pull down my short dress again, my tanned legs exposed as I huff. The only reason I have to wear this stuff is because I have to look good and because it's the middle of a Jaydelin summer, which means over 100° at all times.

It wasn't short enough that you could see everything, so we were fine, but it was short enough that I was uncomfortable.

I look in the mirror and fix my makeup. It was just stuff to make me less ugly, like concealer and brow filler. I do love false eyelashes and thick eyeliner from time to time though.

I just like the feel of light makeup, though glam looks beautiful on some people, it makes me look more like a clown than I already am.

I walk out of the bathroom and wait at the door, sliding my sandals on as Dave rushes out, giving me a stink eye as he grabs my moms hand and starts talking about what they're going to do after the dinner.

Though I'd rather not hear it now, and not be there when *shudder*... that ... happens.

Slowly he walks my mom to the car, my mom giggling as I scrunch my nose up and get in the backseat quickly. I dread the drive there and when we pull up to their mansion I quickly step out and shamefully speed walk in.

Rose sees me and I gag, pointing behind me, "Stuck in car. Dirty Dave." I say gibberish in a heave and she gags too, grabbing me and pulling me into the dining room.

She was wearing an equally short black romper. Her hair flowed down her shoulders making her look beautiful.

"I was just going to set the table and we both know the only thing Dave is gonna do is follow your mom around and she only helps with... nothing so," she says, beckoning to the dishes that are ready to be set as I giggle, "We are eating at the picnic table outside so if you wanna come grab some dishes," She says, grabbing some and walking over to the large glass door, pulling it open as it ranges from wall to wall.

She walks out and places the plates on this long picnic table, it's covered with a lacy mat in the middle and some clean succulents, perfectly positioned.

I lean over and grab some plates from the dining table, straightening up just in time to see Leo walk by. Hoping he didn't see my underwear, I blush.

"Oh no, you really need to stop bending over for people so much." Leo says sarcastically, purposely not checking me out, hanging by the other side of the dining table to hear what I come back with. "Sorry Roxy, you're to young for me!" He says and I raise an eyebrow.

There he is..

Though he doesn't seem like it with his sarcastic comments and judgmental glances.. he was my dream.

"Do all the freshman you sleep with know that?" I ask and he makes this face, this one where his hair falls in front of one eye so his open one sparkles with a greenish blue color as he smiles, his tongue trailing across his upper set of teeth.

It makes me look at him, he was wearing baggy sweatpants and no shirt, holding a half eaten protein bar, keeping one hand in his pocket, pushed as far away from him as possible while still being in his pocket.

He was hot and every girl at school knew it, I mean they all just gave him themselves without anything, just willingly like, yes, please take my virginity.

I mean I would let him but I've known him for 11 years and know he would never do that to me unless he loved me. Leo doesn't seem like it, but I know he cares about me even if he doesn't like me. He doesn't want anybody to touch me unless they love me.

And him loving me is a far far away dream.

And we don't talk about that.

"Nice." Rose says as she passes by to grab the utensils.

"Nice one, Lil Roxy. But you know I have a girlfriend now. Do all your friends know you just checked me out?" He says and I glare at him, as he walks closer to me and grabs my hands lightly, looking down at me with beautiful eyes as our bodies are so close.

"Don't call me that." I say quickly, blushing, and he smiles, "Calm down! Who knew lil' Roxy would grow up to be such a drama queen." He pauses, smirking and ruffling my hair.

"It's alright, Babe, I know you only have one friend." He says, sarcasm laced in his voice, as he bites his lip and walks farther away from me.

I grin evilly.

"Who knew big boy Leo would grow up to be such a disappointment?" I say and he chuckles, leaning on the chair on the other side of the dining table and stares at me deeply as he says,

"Everyone, Roxy. You're not special." As I walk over to him. He grabs my head and kisses the top of it.

I reach up and run my fingers through his hair, smiling at him through my eyelashes as he stares at me, a small smile on his lips. I wish I could kiss those lips. His eyes flicker down to mine as he looks at my innocent face. He smirks a little as he wraps his strong arms around my waist and squeezes me to him.

Then he just lets go.

Over and over it happens but the feeling of him letting go never fails to fill me with sadness.

He scrunches up his nose as he walks away, shaking his head a little before he relaxes and smiles, walking into the kitchen. That was his taunting face. The face he makes every time I taunt him to make fun of him.

It's adorable.

But before he walks in he leans against the doorframe, his back turned towards me, "See you at dinner, Roxy." He says and I shake my head with a chuckle as he walks away.

I go over to the picnic table and set down the last stack of like three plates.

"Oh how nice of you to join me! You came just in time to do nothing, I'm so proud of you!" Rose says patting me on the back as I look at her and flash her a big smile.

"I know I'm the best, but you know me and your brother kinda have a battle here and I need to win it." I say and she rolls her eyes.

Because that's the one thing this bitch doesn't know about me, is that I'm in love with her brother.

I knew I liked him for forever, like as long as I can remember.

But,

FLASHBACK

ALMOST TWO YEARS AGO (Leo 16, Roxy 14)

"Why did you let us jump in if we didn't have any towels!" I yell and she laughs as I shudder.

"If you don't go and get us towels right now I will throw you in-"Leo starts and Rose nods profusely, running back to the beach house.

I shudder in the cold, "I'm so wet..." I say quietly investigating my clothes that are stuck against my body.

"Didn't know I would hear that in real life.." Leo mumbles, putting his hands in the wet pockets of his sweat pants.

Woah there buddy didn't need to make my heart beat so fast, it's breaking the law, I can't go over the speed limit.

He walks over to me and wraps his arms around me, "I'm also wet so I don't think I'll be much help, but here." He says, pulling me in so my head is against his chest.

His hands roam all over my back, one finding its way to my hair and running his fingers through the tangled mess until it's straight.

I look up at him through my eyelashes and I see him swallow. His deep teal eyes sparkling as his wet blonde hair falls in front of his face.

Rose comes with one towel, "I could only find one, but mom is calling us so we need to go in. You guys clean up and I'll tell her you guys are just washing off, okay?" She asks and I nod as she throws the towel at us and runs towards the beach house again.

Leo, being the football player he his, grabs the towel and quickly holds it over my head. "Oh hohoho you're not getting it!" He says, Running away at full speed as I sprint, the cold beach wind making me even more cold. He slows down to catch his breath but I catch up to him, he tries to run but I grab the towel, making us both fall as I can't keep up with him.

We fall, the light dimming rapidly as the sunset colors us and the wet sand we landed on. Various blues, yellows and oranges shower over us, tinting our skin that collided together roughly.

He lands on the ground, turning quick enough to cushion my fall too as he groans. I chuckle a little, "Thanks for cushioning my fall towel stealer," I say lifting my top half up so I'm straddling him. He smiles up at me as I wrap the towel around me. Taking my wet top off so I'm only in my bikini.

Leo's hands rest easily on my hips, making my entire body tingly as I feel him under me. God who knew I could have two heartbeats.

His eyes look me up and down, his breathing getting heavier.

"It's my towel too, Roxy!" He defends and I shake my head, "Well it was only yours a second ago! Blah blah blah, it's ladies first, Leo." I say and he growls as I throw the towel around me, shielding me from the cold winds.

He grabs the small of my back and pulls me down, my back arched into his torso. He leans in and whispers in my ear, "You know you're the only one I let call me that right, I could take it away in a second. Then you'd be just like everybody else to me, a nobody." He says, his eyes full of intensity and his body warming me up. His warm breath making my stomach do turns and I smirk, "What? Towel stealer or Leo? Either way, I don't think you have the guts."

I chuckle but he doesn't. He just smirks and grabs the towel off from around me starts drying himself off from under me.

I grab one end of the towel, slowly pulling more of it towards him he brings me closer.

"This isn't fair I'm cold!" I say and he just smiles, staring me in the eyes intensely.

"I'm just gonna freeze!" I say dramatically, and totally sarcastically, making me laugh a little and shake my head.

I slap his chest as I laugh, and smile down at him, but he's not drying himself off or getting the sand that's stuck on him off. No.

He's staring at me, deep into my eyes as his smile is completely wiped off of his face, just concentration. I furrow my eyebrows, a smile still on my face as his expression quickly changes.

It's not what it was before, I know that for sure as he picks me up, and brings me over to the back of the abandoned truck we were on earlier.

This was the spot we went every time we came here alone, to a broken down truck on the beach.

It was our favorite.

I leaned against the back as he climbed up on it quickly and sat next to me. He puts the towel over me so I'm not freezing as he starts drying my legs off.

He sighs, his breathing uneven and shaky as he stares at me from the sides of his eyes.

"Leo?" I ask, wanting to know what's wrong. But little did I know I would very quickly find out.

He swallows, quickly saying, "Fuck it, Roxy." And throwing the towel next to us on the truck, getting up and moving me under him in one swift moment.

It all happened so quickly when he leaned in and kissed me, grabbing my face and taking all control of my body. My brain was focused on him, my body was focused on him, my heart was focused on him...

And of course I kiss back, he's the only person I've ever dreamed of doing this with, and my heart skips a beat as he moves his hand that was on my back to my hips.

He slowly guides my hips against him and I feels twists in my stomach, but the good kind that makes me scream in the rational part of my brain, 'what are you doing? He's your best friends brother! This could ruin your relationship with him, with Rose, with the only people that are taking care of you right now while your mom is off with some guy in the Philippines when she doesn't have money to buy food.'

But I'm stupid, so I keep going, feeling him above me and never wanting to move. I push the rational part of me away and just focus on him.

He moves his head to my neck and kisses me as he grinds against me.

"Leo..." I moan and he just grinds harder, kissing my neck and with every kiss saying a different word in this sentence, "That's. The. Only. Thing. You. Call. Me." He says in a growl and I smile, moving my lips to his again before he stops, dead in his tracks above me.

I swallow as he stiffens, his eyes full of panic when I look up at him. He swallows, kissing me as if it were the last thing he'd do before he'd die, and then backing up.

"Leo?" I ask, my voice shaky and scared for what he's going to do, he doesn't seem happy. He doesn't seem like he does when he just kissed a girl. He doesn't seem like he does normally.

He seems scared and panicked.

Like he did something wrong.

He shakes his head, his nose twitching like he's angry. At himself or at me I don't know, but my eyes fill up with tears.

"Fuck! You're my sisters best friend. You're only 14! I'm a sophomore, I'm sixteen and I can't be making out with a girl I've know since I was seven." He says and I look at him with shock and hurt, feeling rejected.

"Get off of me." I say, not looking him in the eye.

"Roxy-" He starts but I push his chest, him not even flinching, "Get off of me!" I screech.

He backs off, leaning his back against the truck as I jump out.

"Roxy-" he starts but I walk away, my arms entangled with each other in front of me.

"I'm- I'm not angry at you I'm angry at me." I say, tears in my eyes as he gets off and walks towards me, "I'm angry that I believed for a second that I mattered to you. You don't deserve to hear everything I was going to say to you after you pulled back, you will never deserve it. Me calling you Leo doesn't matter, I'm a nobody to you no matter what."

"Roxy," he says, and I open my mouth to interrupt him again but he puts his hand over my red mouth.

"I know you wanted to do it... but we can't. You know that." He says and I shake my head, "You could've saved this situation but you didn't." I say, and I walk away.

What he could've said was....

I know we wanted to do it.

The wind blows through my wet hair as he stands there, staring at me before he starts pacing the wet sand.

Making foot prints in it the ocean will only wash away.

I wish the ocean could wash away this memory.

END FLASHBACK

::;;

It's not different now, but deep down it's different for me.

I think it's because when he pins me up against the wall and we make fun of each other, or he tells me I'm cute, or his face is close to mine, you can see that I'm scared.

I'm scared that not only will he be the one if us that thought it was a mistake kissing, but I'm scared that he'll do it again and say the same thing, because it hurt me.

We don't act different, but we both know about it. We know how each other's bodies move. We know how our lips move together perfectly. We know how our hearts beat in sync.

I got back to the beach house and slept on the couch, and we never talked about it again. I started acting fine around Rose and her family with him, and soon I started feeling it.

Look at him and look at me, you see Roxanne and Leo, Jace to most. But everybody else sees Leo and his little sister's best friend.

That's all I am,

especially to him....