Chapter One: ❝ Soccer moms love that kind of thing ❞

THERE COULD ONLY be one reason why I'd be looking around the classroom like a paranoid squirrel on caffeine - the guy who always borrowed a pen from me was nowhere to be seen. This was our only class together, so I knew for sure that he wasn't there.

It felt like I'd not raised my head in class since the beginning of time and now that I was literally pivoting it all over the place in search of him, I couldn't help but notice the stark contrast of bling and annoyance.

On my left, my classmates' wrist were practically sparkling with diamonds that could blind a person. On my right, designer bags that cost more than my whole wardrobe were casually tossed aside like they were nothing.

And then there was the pesky kid behind me who wouldn't stop kicking my chair. Ugh, could he be any more irritating?

And to top it off, Mr. Sheperdshen, our history teacher, seemed to be in no rush to end this never-ending class. His bald head was shining under the fluorescent lights as he continued to drone on about the Industrial Revolution, even though his period had technically ended ages ago.

Finally, he gave us the cue to wrap it up. "Okay class, let's put our history books to good use and call it a--"

He's cut off by a sudden loud thud swinging the door open. 

Oh there he is, the guy that never brings a pen to class. 

"Are you just coming to class Mr. Carter?" Mr. Sheperdshen's stern voice broke through the laughter that had erupted in the classroom.

The whole class had burst into a frenzy of laughter, murmuring words like "Damn, he's so hot and bad", "He never misses", "He's so cool and funny", "Never seen that one before" while they packed up their books and rushed towards the door.

As the commotion died down, I couldn't help but notice the guilty expression on the guy's face. I stalled for a bit, hoping to hear what he had to say.

"I'm really sorry Mr. Sheperdshen," he finally spoke up. "I just got done with a Vogue shoot and I tried to be here as early as possible but..."

Vogue shoot? Yeah, right. Maybe he usually spends all his money on hair gel and forgets about the essentials - like, you know, a pen.

I wanted to hear the end of his excuse, but I also couldn't stick around for long. I had to make a beeline for home before I got tangled up in any Ivy League High afterschool drama.

As usual, I hopped on the subway to head home. And after a few minutes, I got off at my street.

It was the same routine every day - survive another day at Ivy League High, avoid the Top Drawers, and dodge the gossip mill. It was a lonely existence, but hey, at least I didn't have to deal with narcissists, fake friends, or low IQs.

Speaking of low IQs, there was this guy in my Math class who thought that 2+2 equals 9 just because the teacher had bad hand writing.  Yeah, it was that kind of school.

As I walked home, dragging my backpack along the pavement, I was just thinking about how my life was like a bad teen movie. The only thing missing was a makeover montage and a love interest who wasn't a total jerk.

Just then, something caught my attention - the haziest hazel eyes I'd ever seen. I was already getting lost in them when my dad, who also happened to be my only friend and family, called out to me.

"Hey, Scallywag! Come say hi to our new neighbors." 

Ugh, another cringey nickname to add to his never-ending list of ridiculous monikers. I gritted my teeth and forced a smile while making my way over to where he was standing.

As I got closer, I noticed that the new neighbors were a family of four - a couple and their two teenage sons. Great, just what I needed, more teenage boys to pretend not to be interested in.

"Hi, I'm Mr. Hugh" the father said, extending his hand for a handshake. "And this is my wife, Mrs. Hugh, and our sons, Jason and Scott." 

So the hazeled-eyed boy was my new neighbour. And he was either a Jason or a Scott. Sigh, I was secretly hoping he'd be something more freakish like an Armando.

I, however, plastered a real-enough smile on my face and extended my hand in a polite greeting. "Hi, I'm Scarlett, Scarlett James," 

Before I could say anything more than my name, my dad dove into a shameless bout of small talk with Mrs. Hugh. Classic Dad move.

I stood there awkwardly, all while silently praying for the conversation to come to an end so I could escape to my room. But no, my dad was in his element, chatting away without a care in the world. 

Before I knew what was happening, I heard my dad saying "So it's a date! I-I mean a plan! Dinner tonight, the Hughs and the James. The Jughs (jews)!"

Mrs. Hugh let out a polite chuckle, and I could feel my face turning red with embarrassment.  

As the Hughs made their exit, I turned to my dad with great disbelief, "What on earth, Dad? That was like the worst flirting I've ever been forced to watch."

He simply shrugged and replied, "Soccer moms love that kind of thing, and don't you dare pretend like you weren't eyeing one of their sons, if not both of them. I permit you to have a threesome if you're weird like that."

"Get a hold of yourself, Dad!" I groaned shaking my head at him as I marched inside the house. 

As much as we annoyed the hell out of eachother, he was still my best friend and I knew deep down that he cared for me more than anyone else in the world.

I stumbled into the living room, and instead of going straight to my room as I originally planned, I decided to chill there and gossip with my dad a little about what happened at school today.

So, I flung my bag and myself onto the couch and tore into a bag of chips I'd found just lying there idle. 

"Hey, dad, it's been ages since you bought Doritos. Let me guess, Mrs. Hugh likes Doritos." I called out, already deep into the crunchy goodness.

"No, I do. And take your hands off my damn Doritos," a hoarse voice growled from behind me, causing me to jump out of my skin.

I spun around, half expecting to see a chip-loving ghost, only to come face to face with the most unexpected guest.

Yayy! You made it to the end of Chapter One! I'm so excited you didn't ditch halfway through.

Who's your favorite character so far?

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Loads of love from me

𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢: 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨

𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩: 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠_𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙨