Description: Faith Kay Anderson, a hazel-eyed, 5'6", leggy brunette, has a secret from her past that everyone wants to know. As the new girl moving from the small town of New Lain to the city of Haneel, she has a mysterious air. She's fine with having everyone whisper about her in the halls, but when someone finally has the courage to approach her, she's hesitant to let that person in. Grace Lee Kim, a brown-eyed, 5'3", Asian with pin-straight black hair, is the first one brave enough to "approach the unapproachable". Grace is the only Asian in a sea of whites. She was the girl that every guy sought after, every girl envied, that is, until Faith Kay came into the scene. Grace is determined to be the only one who Faith Kay opens up to, but Faith Kay's big secret allows Grace to only know half the truth. What happens when the two most sought after girls try to be friends? Peace, harmony, and joy? Puh-lease.
Chapter 1: New Beginning?
"We're what?!" I exclaimed. This was unreal. "We're moving to Haneel," my mother said. "What the f---," I tried to say, but my father cut me off with an explanation. "Your mother and I decided that your little...incident is weighing you down," my father sighed.The incident. My mistake. The event in my life that will forever haunt me. I was 13, two years have passed, but the memory of the event is still fresh. I stared blankly at them from across the dinner table. "You'll love Haneel! All of the hustle and bustle will keep your mind off of...you know," my mother offered. "You'll have a brand new start. You could become a whole new person! And., sophomore year isn't too late to start! You'll meet tons of new people!" "But, what about my friends HERE?!" I whined. "What friends? The ones who shunned you during 8th grade? Or, what about the ones who tortured you the minute they found out?" my snotty sister, Reese, spat. I glared at Reese and said, "No. My BEST FRIENDS. Vanessa, Charlie, and Kat." Reese rolled her eyes and grumbled incoherently. "I don't understand why you're not upset, Miss Popularity", I retorted. Reese sighed. "I BELONG in the city. Small town is great and all, but I hate the fact that everyone knows my business." "What 'business' could you possibly have?!" I shouted. "You're only in the 6th grade!" "Kay, that's enough!" my father said as he slammed his fist on the table. "Whatever", I grumbled as I got up and walked upstairs. This was beyond unfair. I walked to my desk and turned on my laptop. What would I tell Vanessa, Charlie, and Kat? We've been the best of friends for the longest time. Sure, before, I had a plethora of friends, but those three were the only ones who stood by me after...the incident. Every time I close my eyes, the horrible memories rush through my mind. I can picture it perfectly. Word for word. Action for action. No matter how hard I try to forget, I can't. I signed onto AIM and a message from "KitKat" popped up. She asked me if I'm up for a walk in the park in an hour. I declined and she signed off. I don't want to tell any of them just yet. It's the end of summer and in three weeks, they will be walking through the doors of New Lain High while I force myself to adjust to city life. But, maybe Mom's right. My secret will no longer define me. I COULD start all over again. Maybe even tryout for the pep squad or dance/drill. For once in my life, I won't be pre-judged by anyone. The only things people will know about me will be the things I tell them. No more sickening practical jokes at my expense. No more being an outcast. I'll be Faith Kay Anderson, the normal girl. Not a single soul will ever find out what I did two years ago.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Mom, this air is SO polluted," Reese complained as we pulled up to our new, two-story house. It was beige with a brown roof, long driveway, and a huge pool in the back. "Stop whining, Reese," my father reprimanded. "Here we are! Home sweet home!"We unpacked box after box after box all day. In a week I would be entering Heil High, or as I like to call it, "Hell High". While I was bringing my boxes into my room, my cell phone rang. "Hello?" I answered. "How's Haneel? I miss you, babe," Vanessa cooed. "I just got here! I don't know what this place is like, but everything is so...big compared to New Lain," I sighed. "Hang in there, Faith," Vanessa soothed. "Listen, I have to go now, but call me when you're settled in. Kisses and mucho love!"Exhausted from all of the unpacking I had done, I collapsed on my canopy bed. The curtain was a light blue and the duvet was pure white. Against the wall were two bookshelves that were both jam packed with books and magazines. I am addicted to reading. A good book could calm me down and rid my mind of problems. I get so into books that, sometimes, I 'll sit in one spot and read the book, cover to cover. On the opposite wall is a tinted window with white shutters. I know what you're thinking, "Shutters? Those are so old school!" They may be old fashioned, but I like them. The adjacent wall is my walk-in closet My one demand in moving to Haneel was that I got to remodel and expand my room. My closet is filled with a variation of clothes. Salvation Army to Dolce & Gabana. Shopping for clothes is my second favorite thing. My father, a plastic surgeon, and my mother, a self made multi-millionaire CEO, gave me my first credit card when I was 10. Unlike other pretty little rich girls, I don't flaunt my riches. I tell everyone that my dad is a vet and my mom is a pediatrician. I don't want friends or boyfriends who only like me because I have money. Reese, on the other hand, is a spoiled brat who craves the lime light. She flaunts all of these designer clothes and BAM! she instantly attains random guys' phone numbers. I don't want artificial friends, I want real ones. The next day, my mom, Reese, and I explored Haneel while my dad was doing all of the techie stuff at home. We found a grocery store, outlet mall, restaurants, Cold Stone's Creamery, Boba Loca, and another mall. Even though Haneel is huge, all of the important places were remotely close. Our last stops were Hell High and Newman Elementary. Newman Elementary was about the same size as the school in New Lain, but Hell High was completely different. It was a new high school that just opened five years ago. Apparently, Hell High was big on sports, to my discontent. I wasn't very good at anything except dancing. Going to a school that looked so athletic made my stomach flip. We registered for my classes: Period 0-Dance/Drill (I tried out the day before) Period 1-Chemistry Period 2-French II H Period 3/Homeroom-English II H Period 4-Algebra II (I hate math) Period 5-AP World History Period 6-Study HallAs I looked over my schedule, my heart sank. I was officially enrolled at Hell High and it sucked. The dance/drill coach was impressed that I learned the routine only after two hours, which she gave me a spot on the team instantly. I was bummed to see that none of the other team members congratulated me, rather just roll their eyes. I knew they were jealous and I knew they wanted to know about me. This could get interesting....
Chapter 2: Popularity or Pity?
Oh no...it's September 7th and you should know what that means. First day of school. I've been dreading this day for the last couple of days. I spent all of last night on a four-way call with Vanessa, Charlie, and Kat. We talked about how much we missed each other for about an hour and spent two hours planning out our back-to-school outfits. Ever since I could remember, we always wore generally the same outfit in different, assigned colors. My color was blue this year. For some reason, Vanessa and Kat always argue about the outfit while Charlie and I IM each other about how ridiculous Vanessa and Kat sound. It may sound so weird, but it's a tradition. Thanks to a compromise between Vanessa and Kat, I walked through the double doors of Hell High wearing a short, denim skirt, baby blue cami, and Rainbows. The halls were filled with students, mostly blondes. As I walked to my locker, I could feel the heated stares on my back and I started to worry. What if they knew my secret somehow? But then I shook my head at how ridiculous that sounded. As I approached my locker, there was a group of guys surrounding some Asian chick. Queen Bee, I guess. Whatever. I spun the combination on my lock, but couldn't get it open. I groaned in despair and struggled some more. Then, a hand popped out of nowhere and easily opened my locker. I turned around and saw the most gorgeous boy on earth. He looked to be about 6'2" with brunette hair that touched the nape of his tanned neck. He was wearing a red Volcom t-shirt, Hollister jeans, and Billabong slippers. I smiled shyly, shoved my stuff in my locker, and walked to chemistry class. "Stupid girl! You should've said something!" I thought to myself.I looked back and, surprisingly, the guy was still standing there, facing my locker, with his eyes closed. I was so distracted that I walked into yet ANOTHER hot guy and dropped my books. This one had jet black hair a little bit longer than the other guy's. He was wearing a Threadless shirt that had a bunch of keys on it, Abercrombie & Fitch jeans, and white slip-on Vans. He was about 5'9" with black-framed glasses. "I'm sorry," he apologized. He picked up my planner and book. "Here you go."He smiled and I melted. I smiled sweetly and walked into the classroom thinking about how stupid they must think I am. When I finished introducing myself to the teacher, I took a seat next to the window, my favorite spot. We had about give minutes until class started, so I stared out the window and twirled my brunette locks. As I counted the number of BMWs that passed by, a perky blonde with highlights in a flouncy pink skirt with a white V-neck baby tee came up to me. "Hi! I'm Klarissa, the sophomore ASB class president! I just wanted to welcome you to Heil High! Btw, your hair is to die for, who does it?" Klarissa said brightly. "It's natural," I mumbled as I rolled my eyes and turned my back to her. I sat quietly throughout the class, listening to the teacher drone on and on about expectations, the same bull every year. Turn in your homework, be on time, follow directions precisely, blah blah blah. After about three hours of listening to rules for chem, French, and English, we had a 15-minute break. I had a workbook and text book from the classes that I wanted to cram into my locker. Once again, the Asian chick was surrounded by a horde of guys, laughing and flipping her black hair. The sight of so many guys hanging on every syllable the girl said gave me a longing feeling. That used to be me, before....the incident. I sighed and tried opening my locker but, like this morning, I couldn't get it open. I hit my locker and groaned. Why wouldn't it open?! I rested my forehead on the cool metal of my locker and tried to calm down. "Need some help?" a velvety voice called from behind me.I turned around and saw a guy with the most amazing smile and curly blonde hair. This guy wasn't as cute as the other two, but his smile and sparkling eyes made up for that. Speechless, I nodded my head and stepped aside in a trance. I was entranced by his dazzling smile that I almost tripped over my own foot. "The trick with this locker is to pull it down, THEN up," he smiled. "My name's Freddie, you're new right?" I just smiled in response. "Think I could get your name?" Freddie asked. I smiled coyly, put my stuff in my locker, closed it, and walked away. "Hey, wait up!" Freddie called. I just waved without turning back.It felt good to have people want my attention. Three cute boys came up and tried to get me to talk to them, along with our perky class president. Without a tainted reputation, I was more attractive. I was back and nobody could stop me. Fourth and fifth period were more active. In algebra II, the teacher gave us around five handouts that stated all of the rules and told us that we had to get out parents to sign each paper and bring them to class tomorrow, along with our homework. We didn't learn anything new, but we were assigned a review worksheet. I could tell that this wasn't going to be an easy class. When the bell rang to signal the end of fourth period, I was relieved. AP World History was on the third level, every AP class was. With only five minutes to get from class to class, I flew up the flights of stairs. I took the stairs two at a time and was out of breath by the time I got to the third level. I checked my watch and saw that I had three minutes left, so I just stood there, trying to catch my breath. "Maybe next time you'll be smart and pace yourself," a snooty voice remarked. I looked up and saw the Asian chick standing in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest. She was wearing a mini yellow sundress and gladiators. I picked up my backpack and walked past her without speaking a word. "Hey! Don't ignore me!" she yelled after me, but I just turned the corner and walked into AP World. During AP World, I was so electrified by what happened during passing period that I was glowing. Sitting in front, I knew all eyes were on me, wondering. Where is she from? What's her name? Does she have a boyfriend? But more importantly, does she have a past? Yes, I have a past, but they will never find out, not if I had any say it the matter. I could sense that they were all dying to talk to me, but they were intimidated. They were intimidated by my mysterious air. I didn't talk to anybody, yet I was desired. People were so curious sometimes! We spent the whole class time reading chapter 12 in our textbooks, which meant that the room was absolutely silent. The ring of the lunch bell was the only noise that disturbed the peace, other than a couple coughs and sneezes. I was relieved when the bell rang. My day was practically over. I picked up my bag and walked out the door, down the stairs, and to my locker. Using the new trick Freddie taught me, my locker opened with ease. I kept my notebook, magazine, math folder, and pencil case in my backpack, shoving the rest in my locker. I grabbed my sack lunch and headed to the cafeteria. When I walked into the cafeteria, everyone was already seated with their cliques. Luckily, I found a spot at an empty table by the window. I opened up the brown sack and found a cheese quesadilla, pudding, and bottled water. As I was eating, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw the Asian chick again. She leaned forwards and whispered in my ear, "You may think you're popular and hot, but it's just pity. You're the new girl. Fresh meat. Your pity popularity will only last for a day or two. I'm the queen. Don't mess with me, white girl." She smirked, patted my head, and walked away. I wanted to attack her! I never felt so degraded in my life! Sure, the heat I got from my peers about my incident was horrible, but THIS was beyond anything. But...what if the Asian girl was right? I mean, she IS the queen bee and queen bee's know everything that goes on throughout the school. Were people only paying attention to me because they thought I was pitiful, or worse, EASY? Were people only talking to me because I was "fresh meat"? Or, did she just say that because she felt threatened by me? I thought about what happened previously and it started to make sense. She was there when those three cute guys came up to me and saw how I acted with them. Maybe those guys were part of her clique or something. Maybe she was pissed because I blew her off when she made that sarcastic remark about pacing myself. Maybe she hated the thought of someone stealing her spot at the top. Either way, my goal for the rest of my life was to stop worrying what other people think of me. Along with that goal, I would do anything and everything to keep my secret safe. No matter how much I want to deny it, if anyone in Haneel ever found out what happened two years ago, I would be destroyed. Suddenly depressed, I threw my lunch away and chugged the rest of my water, I checked my watch and noticed I still had ten minutes left so I pulled out my magazine and started reading an article titled "Are You Too STRESSED?" The article was pretty good and descriptive. I felt calmer by the second, but my calmness was interrupted by some guy pummeling me to the ground. One minute I was reading about how to de-stress yourself and the next minute, 145 lbs. of guy was on top of me. "Sorry, I guess I calculated the distance wrong," the guy said. I pushed him off and stood up. "Whoa, my bad, you don't have to get so pissed off," the guy snapped. I sighed. "Whatever. It's cool, I'm fine." "Really?" he scratched the back of his head. "Most girls would throw a hissy fit over a broken nail or something." "Well, I'm not most girls," I smirked. I straightened my skirt, picked up my stuff, and walked out of the cafeteria without another word. Once the cafeteria doors closed behind me, I sighed with relief. That guys was such a jerk, running into me like that. Deep in thought, I ran into Volcom shirt guy. "Hey, girl with locker, right?" he stammered. I shrugged. "Maybe. Every girl has a locker though." "Ahhh...hot AND sarcastic. You're pretty brave for the new girl," he smiled. "And you know I'm new how...?" I asked. "I've been asking around about you. I only found out your name is Faith Kay Anderson and you're a sophomore," he nervously admitted. "Stalker much?" I smirked. "Maybe just a little," he replied with a toothy smile. "So, Faith Kay Anderson, can I walk you to...." "Study hall," I told him. "And yeah, sure."He offered me his hand, but I declined. We walked in silence to the library, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was more of a I-think-it's-better-if-we-don't-say-anything silence. "Well, here we are, hope your first day at Heil High was fun," he said. "It was okay, thanks for walking me...." I trailed off. "Damian. Damian Adams," he shyly replied. "Bye, Damian." I turned around and walked into the library as the bell rang. Damian Adams. Nice name, but kinda shy. I spent the whole period contemplating my thoughts of the boys I met that day. Damian Adams. Decent manners. Buff, but not cut. Amazingly hot. Not much of a talker. Has good boyfriend potential, but then again, so does Glasses Guy. Glasses Guy was better looking that Damian. Polite. Had a smile that would be worth paying to see. Seemed to have more potential than Damian. Freddie seemed like more of a friend than a boyfriend. He was decent looking with a killer smile, but I wasn't as attracted to him as I was with Damian of Glasses Guy. Poor Grace. She has no idea who she's messing with. I got home from school at around three. I was relieved to be done with my first day in Hell. I walked through the front door and smelt cinnamon rolls. "Mom? Reese?" I called from the foyer. "We're in the kitchen! Come in here!" my mother's voice instructed.I dropped my backpack at the foot of the stairs and walked to the kitchen. The scent of cinnamon permeated throughout the living room. When I got to the kitchen, my mom and Reese were covered with flour. "Surprise! We made cinnamon rolls!" Reese giggled. "Why are YOU so happy?" I asked. "A boy FINALLY likes me for me! I didn't even have to tell him that I'm rich or any of the usual stuff!" Reese exclaimed. "Whoopdedoo...all the guys that like me like me for me." I told her. "Not since the incident!" Reese stuck her tongue out at me. "ENOUGH!" my mom shouted. "Here honey, have a roll." "Thanks," I mumbled. "So, how was YOUR first day at school?" she asked. "I met three cut guys, the most popular girl at school, who's the only Asian by the way, acted so bitchy towards me, and some bulky jock rammed into me," I confessed.Before either of them could ask me about my day, I shoved the cinnamon roll in my mouth and walked upstairs with my backpack. I put my "Do Not Disturb" sign that I stole from a hotel five years ago on my doorknob and started my homework. I was halfway done when out home phone rang, flashing an unfamiliar number. "Hello, Anderson household, who's this?" I answered. "Hi, is Faith Kay there?" a familiar voice asked. "This is her," I said uneasily. "C'mon, don't be scared. I know you know me. What's my name?" the guy chuckled.Hunter. Why was that asshole calling me and how did he get my number? "Hunter, what the hell do you want and how did you get my number?" I snarled. "Don't worry your pretty little head about that tidbit of information." Hunter instructed. "I just called to see how your first day went." "Cut the crap, Hunter. What do you REALLY want?" I spat. "Well, I was wondering if you hooked up with anyone in the Nurse's Office like you did last year." he said in spite of what I wanted to hear. Frustrated, I hung up the phone and sighed. My hookup with Hunter was on of the things I did in order to create a new scandal, hoping that people would forget. I knew that moving a few miles away from New Lain wouldn't erase the fact that my incident happened. I thought that hooking up with every guy in the freshmen class would distract them from my previous incident, but the rumors only got worse. Although hooking up with every guy sounds bad, having the reputation as the girl every guy made out with was better than being known as the girl who...
Chapter 3: With Grace
Friday went by quickly. The only great part of that day was that the Asian girl was wrong, but, she was also right. Nobody ignored me, but nobody went out of their way to talk to me either. All day, people were whispering as I passed them in the halls. It didn't bug me that they were whispering; I've been though more intense forms of torture because of the incident. What DID bug me was that Damian and Glasses Guy didn't talk to me. I saw them in the halls and waved, but they just looked away. I even spent extra time picking my outfit: a white, barely there skirt, lavender racerback tank, and white Roxy sandals. I spent the day in a daze, but, today, I was just going to relax. I woke up at around ten because I was up until two on the phone talking to Vanessa. Apparently, Vanessa and her boyfriend, Keith, were arguing again. Keith felt that Vanessa was dressing too provocative. She was mad because he was "trying to control her". I had to admit though, Vanessa always wore either baby fit or tight shirts and tank and barely there shorts and skirts if she wasn't wearing jeans. Guys were always talking about Vanessa's body and clothing. If I had her body, I would flaunt it too! I took a shower then poured myself a bowl of cereal and read Seventeen. "Kay! Someone's here to see you," my father called.I put my bowl in the sink and trudged into the living room and stopped in my tracks. Standing in my doorway looking bored was the Asian chick wearing a lime green sundress and matching espadrilles. "Hey Faith!" she greeted. "Well, don't just stand there! C'mon, where's my hug?" I awkwardly hugged her. "Hey, uh...you. What are you doing here?" "Oh, Faith! Don't tell me you forgot out little spa date today!" she chimed. "Uhm...no, of course not. Let me get my purse and we can get going," I grabbed my purse off the banister and told my dad I would be back later. "Hurry up, Faith! The appointment's at noon and it's already eleven!" she urged.I rushed out the door and got into the asian chick's silver BMW. It was a little ostentatious for my taste, but whatever. "Okay, Faith," she said as she drove. "I just wanted to apologize for my bitchy attitude on Thursday. Totally PMS's fault." "And you couldn't have said this at school?" I questioned her. "If I did, you wouldn't be getting a free mani-pedi," she smiled hugely. "Sure, whatever. Anyways, what's your name? I mean, you know MINE, tell me yours," I instructed. "Grace Lee Kim," she answered as if her whole name was one big name. We pulled into the parking lot of a place called "Lumie" and walked inside. It looked like a regular salon, so it was really nothing special. We spent about an hour inside, then came out. I got electric blue tips on my fingers and toes. "Thanks, Grace," I tried to say in my sincerest I-really-mean-it voice. "Could you drive me home though? I'm kinda hungry and my dad's making a casserole." "Why don't I treat you to lunch? I really want us to be friends," Grace smiled sweetly. "Sure, whatever." I slumped in down in my seat and texted Charlie. "So, what brings you to Haneel? Some sort of scandal or something?" Grace chuckled.I instantly froze and dropped my phone in my lap. Did the information somehow get from New Lain to Haneel and straight to Grace? "W-w-w-w-what?" I stammered. "Kidding! Unless, that's really the reason why....? You can totally tell me, Faith," Grace batted her lashes. "Possibly," I whispered. "Actually, can you take me home?" Grace sweetly smiled. "Sure, we'll have lunch some other time."Grace quickly made a U-turn and drove me home in silence. "Well, here's all my contact information," Grace handed me a piece of pink stationary. "Don't worry about giving me yours, I already have it." I pocketed the information. "Wait, how?" Grace smiled smugly. "I'm popular for a reason." I shrugged. "Okay, well, bye." "I'll meet you at your locker in the morning. Ciao, mi amiga," Grace blew a kiss and drove off.Something about Grace didn't seem right. I knew that if I was going to be around Grace, I would have to be fully alert. I just had this feeling that Grace was NOT a good person.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ On Monday, I arrived around 7:15 and avoided going to my locker until 7:30. I wasted those fifteen minutes sitting under a tree, reading Seventeen. When I got to my locker, there was a note and a long stem white rose attached to it: "You're more beautiful than this rose could ever be. Meet me in the library during break." -DamianI looked around to see if he was around, but only saw Grace, who winked at me from her inner circle and mouthed, "You're welcome." In a daze, I walked to chem class and bumped into Glasses Guy, yet again. "We have got to stop meeting like this," he laughed as he helped me steady myself. "No big. I'm Faith," I greeted. "I'm....Sanford," he mumbled. "Wait, I don't think I heard correctly," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I'm Sanford," he sighed and looked away. I burst out laughing. "Sanford, huh? Uh...nice name." "Hey now, don't make fun of my name," he warned. "Or what? You're going to put me in a sweater vest?" I was doubled over with laughter and so was he. "Well, Faith, would you like to have lunch with me?" Sanford asked as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "Sure, as long as you don't wear a bow tie and bowler hat," I giggled. "No problem. Bump into ya later," Sanford said as he walked away.Damian and Sanford. Man were they gorgeous. The bell rang and I took my seat by the window. Our chemistry teacher was sick so we had a substitute who had us watch a movie without taking notes. Just as I was about to fall asleep, the pocket of my jeans vibrated. I flipped open my phone and it was a text from Grace, telling me that she was super bored and wanted me to entertain her. Grace: How's the chem sub? Faith: We're watching a movie. How did you get my number? Grace: Tld u, hav my wyz Faith: Don't talk like that. So, what's up? Grace: Sorry my bad. So, I saw you with Damian on Thurs. Faith: So what? Grace: Go for him, not Sanford. Faith: How do you know about him? Grace: Do the words "I'm popular" mean nothing? Faith: Whatever. I'm still deciding. Grace: Well, I'm deciding for you. I want Sanford, so stay away. Faith: Well, he might not want you. Grace: Please. Everyone wants me. Gtg, later.Wow, Grace was so bitchy. If I got with Sanford, what's the worst she could do? Ruin my reputation? Been there, done that! If Grace could have any guy, why would she want Sanford? Unless, there was a specific reason for why she wanted Sanford. I mean, he wasn't in her circle and he seemed pretty interested in me. Then again, there was Damian. I sniffed the white rose which illuminated in the dark. This could get confusing. If I went for Sanford, Grace would be pissed and I would be in a relationship with who I thought was an amazing guy. If I went for Damian, Grace would sink her teeth into Sanford and I might regret it. Seeing Grace on Sanford's arm would hurt. I guess I chose, but break and lunch would strongly influence my choice. Second and third period were a blur. All I remembered that I had two worksheets for French and an essay due next week for English. When the bell for break rang, I calmly walked to my locker and switched my books. I walked as fast as I could to the library and sat down in a chair. I looked at my phone and patiently waited. After about a minute, Damian came running up to me, out of breath. "Sorry I'm late, but my teacher had to talk to me," Damian huffed. "It's no big deal. What did your teacher need?" I asked. "She wanted to talk about graduation," he said. "You're a senior?" I asked, bewildered. Damian scratched his head. "Kinda." "Oh," I said. "So, what did you want to talk about?" "I just wanted to tell you that although I'm a senior and you're a sophomore, I think we could work out," he smiled cockily. I scoffed. "Wow. You're surprisingly cocky. What makes you think I'd date you?" "I'm hot, you're hot, what else do we need?" Damian said. "Do you have ANY feelings for me?" I asked. "I told you! I think you're hot, isn't that enough?" he asked, obviously confused. "Uh, Damian," I said. "I don't think we'd work out. I mean, yeah, you're hot, but you like my looks, not me."I stood up with my backpack and walked out of the library, where I was greeted by Grace. "Hey! So...how was it?" I asked. "Damian isn't right for me," I bluntly said. "Well, plenty of other guys in Haneel. I heard Jacob Vizcaino talking about you in my AP World class," Grace said. "Maybe, but I don't know...." I trailed off. "Well, have lunch with me today. I'll introduce you to a TON of guys that are actually in our grade, "she offered. "I'd love to, but I'm having lunch with someone else," I said, hoping she wouldn't ask who. "Who?" she asked. I sighed. "Sanford." She stopped in her tracks. "I thought I told you that I wanted him." "You did, but I want him, too." I shot back. "And, I that that since you know a TON of guys, getting another guy shouldn't be that hard." Grace grabbed my arm as I tried to walk away. "Faith, if you date Sanford, I will be VERY mad." "You can be mad all you want, Grace, but that won't stop me from getting him," I retorted. "You can't get him if he's with me," Grace smirked. "What makes you think he wants you?" I asked. "I am the most popular girl in school. Not to mention hottest, smartest, and most desired," she answered. "You WERE, until now. Grace Lee Kim, I am going to give you a run for your money. Watch your back and stay on guard, otherwise, you'll go from #1 to rock bottom before you even blink," I growled as I walked away from her, this time, successfully. Lunch time. I rushed to my locker, hoping Sanford would be waiting there, but he wasn't. Instead, there was a white envelope taped to my locker: "Go to where you were this morning from 7:15-7:30."-Sweater Vest Man.I smiled to myself and put the envelope in my backpack. I walked out the front doors and saw Sanford under the tree that I sat at that morning. "Hey," I greeted brightly. "Hello, Faith. Sit," he said. "So, why did you ask me to eat lunch with you, Sanford?" I asked, trying to hold back my laughter. "Well, I just wanted to get to know you," he smiled. "Okay. Well, I'm a sophomore and I'm on the dance/drill team," I said. "Fascinating. I'm a sophomore too and I run cross country and track," he countered. I smiled. "I hate math," "I want to pursue a profession in it." "Reading is fun." "It puts me to sleep." "History is riveting." "My boringest class." "Shopping is fun." "If I wanted to carry bags around, I would be a pack mule." "My favorite color is blue." "So is mine." "Wow! Sanford, we finally agree on something!" I giggled. "I know, how amazing. You know what they say, opposites attract," he winked. I smiled. "Whoever came up with that is a genius." "Well, we have about ten minutes left until lunch ends, what do you want to do?" he asked, quickly changing the subject. Startled, I answered, "We could go into the cafeteria. My friend, Grace, would love to meet you." "Grace? As in, Lee Kim?" he asked. "Yup, that's the one," I answered. "She's been trying to get with me since 7th grade," Sanford confessed. "I don't get why she just won't give up." "Wait, what? 7th grade?" I wondered aloud. "Yeah. She asked me to Sadies in 7th grade, but I turned her down," he told me. "She may be beautiful, but that's not what matters." "Well, what does matter?" I asked. "Hmmm...you are what matters," Sanford admitted. I looked away and blushed. "You look beautiful when you blush," he sighed. I immediately froze and stopped smiling. "I have to go." I grabbed my stuff and ran into the library. Once I was in there, I tried to calm down. I never wanted to hear those words ever again. Some people hate cuss words, I hated those words. Everywhere I go, I'm thinking about the incident. It all started with those words. Those words are like poison to me. I knew I'd have to explain to Sanford sooner or later, but what was I going to say? That something happened two years ago that will forever be with me? He'd ask me what's wrong and then I'd have to make up a fake story. I don't want my relationship with Sanford based on a lie. The only option I had was to lie. I'd just tell him that I was feeling a little nauseous, maybe Sanford would understand. While I was moping, Grace texted me: Grace: Sanford just walked in w/o you, what happened? Faith: Long story. Grace: Babe, whatever it is, you can tell meWhat should I tell her? Again, lying was the only option. Faith: I didn't feel that great. Grace: Oh, well, get better. I think we should be friends, no matter who Sanford chooses. Faith: Um...sure Grace: Great! I'll see you after school. We're gonna go to the mall, okay? Faith: Sure, since I don't have tons of hw. Grace: Great. Wait for me at my car after school. Faith: Why are we going? Grace: For fun. Also, I want your fashion consent. Your outfits are so adorable.Was the queen complimenting me?! Faith: Okay, sure. See you after school. What was Grace up to? Was she really being nice or did she have a secret motive? This afternoon was going to be fun. After school I walked to Grace's car, but, I first had to go to my locker. I sauntered through the hall uneasily. I got to my locker and saw that Damian was waiting there, holding a bouquet of white roses that were similar to the one that was attached to my locker this morning. "Faith," he started. "I'm really sorry. I acted like a jerk. I do like you for more than your beauty. You just....have this energy that I'm drawn to. I didn't want to sound like a geek, so I acted like a jerk instead. Will you forgive me?"Damian handed the flowers to me and shoved his hands in his pocket. I couldn't believe this. Was he lying or was this the truth? I couldn't tell if he was acting or sincere. Then I thought; I did something stupid and nobody forgave me, so, I should give Damian another chance. "Sure, I'll give you another chance," I said as I hugged him. "Thanks, Faith. I promise, you won't regret it," Damian sighed.I let go of his embrace and started toward the parking lot. I was about ten feet away from Grace's car when I saw Freddie and Grace making out on Grace's car. Grace was pushed up against he car's silver hood and Freddie's hands were all over Grace's body from the waist up. I was so shocked; I didn't know what to do. Should I interrupt them or walk away? I decided to carry out the former. I cleared my throat. "Sorry to interrupt, but, yeah..." Grace pulled away from a dazed Freddie and wiped her mouth."Sorry, babe," she said to him. "Don't worry about it," Freddie said as he kissed her cheek.Freddie picked up his backpack and walked away. "So, let's hit the mall," Grace said. She said it as if nothing happened..I reluctantly got into the passenger's seat of Grace's car and sighed. Maybe she would lay off of Sanford because of Freddie. "Sorry about that," Grace chuckled nervously. "It's fine, really," I said. "I didn't know that you were with Freddie." "Oh, that's because I'm not," she said bluntly. "Then...?" I was confused. "It was just a random hook up. I mean, he's not as hot as Sanford, but he's still cute," Grace said. "Well, does Freddie know this?" I asked her. "Of course. I'm his arm candy. If he's spotted with his tongue down my throat, the other guys get jealous of him. He gets credit for being seen with me. They see him as the top guy. I did him a favor," she explained. "What do you get out of it?" "I get to make other guys jealous. Mainly, the guys I like," she winked. "But Sanford wasn't even there. Also, if you're SOOOO popular, why do you need tricks?" I asked. "I'm not as popular as I was BEFORE you came, so I need some tricks. And so what if he wasn't there? His best friend was," she said matter of factly. "Who's his best friend?" I asked her. She smirked. "Freddie."That blew me away. Using a guy's best friend to make him jealous? That's pretty low, but I shouldn't be the one to talk. It's not like I've never done that before, but should I tell Grace, of all people, that? "Oh! Pssh, yeah. I know what you mean. Sometimes you have to make the guy jealous," I said. "Have you ever done that?" She was suddenly curious. "Yeah, actually, I have," I answered with ease. "Well, another topic for another time," Grace said. "We're here!"I stepped out of Grace's BMW with my purse in hand. Grace and I walked into the slightly busy mall. She headed straight for A&F, but I steered her into Wet Seal. "Hey! That's my favorite store!" she protested. "You wanted my fashion consent so you're getting it. A&F and Hollister never change their styles, only color," I informed her as we walked into Wet Seal. "What exactly are you looking for?" "I want some skirts, shorts, and tops," she answered. "Well, look around here and hen we'll hit Delia's in about 20 minutes," I told Grace. "Where are you going?" she asked. "I'm going to Sephora. I ran out of lip gloss and eye liner this morning. When I get back, we'll go," I said.I walked to Sephora and was greeted by a perky salesgirl. I got what I needed and bought some lip gloss for Reese and a new concealer for me. I walked out of Sephora content and saw Sanford walking into Beachworks. I had about ten minutes to spare so I followed him in. I snuck up behind Sanford and put my hands over his eyes. "Guess who?" I singsonged. "Faith?" he guessed. I removed my hands and smiled. "What're you doing here?" he asked. "I saw you walk in and I wanted to apologize for lunch today. I wasn't feeling that great," I said. "Oh. It's okay. So, what're you up to?" he asked. "I'm helping Grace pick out some clothes," I told him. "Well, I'll walk you back," he offered. "Where to?" "Wet Seal," I said. We walked out of Beachworks and to Wet Seal. The whole way there, Sanford kept his hand on the small of my back. I could feel myself smiling the whole time. We walked into the store and found Grace carrying a huge pile of clothes. "Faith," she called. "Wet Seal is amazing! Thank you so much for introducing me to this store!" "No problem, Grace. Hey, guess who I ran into just now," I said. "Who?" she asked, her vision blocked by the tremendous amount of clothes. "Sanford," I told her. "Haha, very funny, Faith," she said sarcastically. "Hey Grace. That's a lot of clothes you got there," Sanford said.Grace dropped all the clothes she was holding onto the floor. "Wow. Uhm, hey...Sanford," Grace gulped nervously. She picked up the clothes and set them on the counter and fixed her hair. "What're you doing here?" Sanford shrugged. "Just killing time before work." "Oh, where do you work?" I asked. "I work over at Beachworks," he answered. "So THAT'S why you were in there!" I gasped. "What time do you start?" "I start around 5 P.M.," Sanford informed us. "You should totally hang out with us until then!" Grace exclaimed. Sanford looked around uneasily. "As long as I don't have to carry your bags." Grace scoffed, but then plastered a huge smile on her face. "That's okay, I was planning on carrying my own bags anyways. You're not a pack mule."Grace swiped her daddy's black AmEx card and walked out of Wet Seal with ten bags full of clothing. "Okay. Delia's is on the other side of the mall, next to Reference," I informed them. I don't know why I had to tell them, they've been living here longer than me, but I was guessing that Grace only knew where Hollister, Abercrombie&Fitch, Sephora, Charlotte Russe, and Windsor were. By the looks of her face when I mentioned Reference, I was probably right.Grace groaned. she was clad in a plaid miniskirt, a puff-sleeve, white, button down blouse, and black kitten heels with knee high white socks. She looked like a stereotypical catholic school girl slut. "You think you can make it, Grace?" Sanford asked with concern. Grace whimpered a little bit. "Yeah. I'm just going to put these in my car. I'll meet you guys there." She shuffled toward the exit with her clothes, hoping that someone would help her. "Y'know, you should help her," I pointed out to Sanford as I shoved my hands in my hoodie. "I should, but, like I said, I hate shopping," he smiled.We continued walking. "Well, why did you agree to come along?" I asked as I gently hip checked him. Sanford shrugged. "You can't really say 'no' to someone like Grace." "But you have before," I pointed out. "Uhm...yeah, about that....not really," he sighed. " I sorta kinda bent the truth." "I was so stunned that I stopped walking. "Well what IS the truth?" "The truth is," he sighed deeply. "Grace and I hooked up a couple of times during the summer." "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked through my teeth. He shrugged for what seemed like the millionth time. "I didn't think it was that important. I mean, it's not like you're my girlfriend or anything."Sanford had a good point. I had no right to be mad or jealous. He wasn't my property. Jealousy started the whole incident thing. I though I learned from it, but picturing Sanford and Grace groping each other on the couch made me want to cry. "Yeah, absolutely. I'm not your girlfriend." Yet. I started walking again, picking up the pace. "Whoa speedy! What' wrong?" Sanford asked, out of breath from trying to catch up to me. "Nothing. Everything's fantastic. We should really keep walking, Grace might be waiting." I walked a couple paces before Sanford grabbed my arm. "I'm sorry for lying to you and saying that crap back there," he apologized. "It's not that I don't want us together...but Grace is pretty clingy sometimes. If we date, she'll ruin your life."Oh, if only Sanford knew. My life had been ruined multiple times. My reputation was tainted. I only had three friends who knew the truth about me and stuck by my side. Grace could never ruin my life as bad as the people in New Lain did. "Whatever," I mumbled. I walked into Delia's and saw Grace rummaging through the racks of skirts. I noticed that Sanford sat down next to me, but I didn't say anything. "Faith, I like you. A lot," Sanford confessed. "But Grace...and this summer..." "If you really wanted to be with me, you would forget about your little summer fling with Grace, but obviously, you can't." I stood up and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Just date Grace. I give up."I walked out of Delia's but once I turned the corner I broke into a sprint. I lived about three miles from the mall, but I couldn't go back to Delia's. I started to walk again and almost collapsed if it wasn't for an outstretched arm. "Faith, what' wrong?" Damian asked. He was carrying a Zumiez bag and soft pretzel. "Why are you crying?" "It's nothing." I shook my head and wiped my tears. "Could you drive me home please?" Damian gave me a huge hug and stroked my hair. "No problem." Damian led me to his ruby red Tesla Roadster and we got in. He started driving in silence, but, again, it wasn't awkward. This silence was welcomed. I felt so comfortable around Damian, even though he was two-three years my senior. "So, are you going to tell me why you were crying?" Damian asked, breaking the silence. I sniffed and looked up at the sky. "Grace." "Ahh...Heil's only Asian bitch," he said bluntly. "What'd she do to you?" "It's not really what she did to me. It's what she did with this guy," I confessed.I could feel my throat closing up and the tears coming down. "Well, let me tell you something about Grace. She is a jealous bitch. Always has been. Before you came along, Grace was the most popular and beautiful girl in school. The only thing she didn't have was a boyfriend. Yeah, she's had hookups, but never a relationship. Last year, she hooked up with my baby sister's boyfriend," he told me. "Maybe you know her. She's your class president." "Wait, the perky blonde is your sister?" I asked, shocked. "Yeah, Klarissa," Damian said. "Hey, where do you live?"We were passing Hell High. I gave him the directions and he continued driving. "Faith, any guy who would pick Grace over you is obviously blind," Damian assured me as he pulled onto my street. "You deserve a guy who appreciates you. Someone like..." "You?" I asked, tilting my head to the side. "Yeah, someone like me," he smiled. "I have a confession to make. I know it's random, but I feel like I have to say it."Oh great. Another confession. How many more was I going to have to endure? "I'm not really a senior, but I'm not a sophomore either. I'm a junior," he said.That wasn't as horrible as Sanford's confession. "Why'd you tell me that you were a senior then?" I asked. "Technically, I didn't. You asked me if I was a senior and I said 'kinda'," he pointed out. "I'm in all AP classes and captain of the football, soccer, and tennis teams. So I'm 'kinda' like a senior."The boy had a point. "Wow...that's a lot of stuff to handle," I said, blown away. "Why did your teacher have to talk to you about graduation then?" "She was telling me that during graduation, I would have to go to some CP classes. She wanted to know if I was okay," Damian informed me. "Oh...I see. Well, since you're honest with me, there may be a chance for us after all," I smiled as he pulled into my driveway. I glanced at the car's digital clock that read 4:15 P.M. "Well Damian, thanks for the ride. See you tomorrow."I got out of his car and walked to the front door without looking back. When I walked in through the door, I saw Reese and some boy doing homework together. "Hey Reese," I greeted her as I walked over to her. "What's up?" "This is my friend, Anthony Michaels. We're just writing our essays for English," Reese replied brightly. "Why are you writing essays? It's only your third day of 7th grade," I said. "Our English teacher, Mrs. Baltimore, is a hard teacher." Anthony smiled at my sister, who was diligently working, and I melted. The beginning of a crush was so special. Reese and Anthony seemed so cute together. "So, Anthony, do you have any siblings?" God, I sucked at small talk... "Yeah, my brother is in your grade. He's working at the mall tonight until 8:30 so your mom said I could wait here for him to pick me up. She even invited me to stay for dinner," Anthony answered, genuinely happy that he got to stay with Reese for a couple more hours. "Oh, that's nice." I walked into the kitchen where my mom was putting something in the oven. "Hi Mom, I'm home," I said as I sat on the counter. "Hi, Kay. Did you meet Anthony?" she asked with a smile. My mom was wearing a white apron on top of her pin stripe business suit. She looked very young for being 35. She was a size three, whereas I was a 00. "Yeah. He reminds me of someone, but I can't place it," I said. "What's for dinner?" "Lasagna," she smiled knowingly.I instantly became ecstatic. Lasagna was my favorite food ever since Charlie made me try it at her 8th birthday party. My mind forgot all about Sanford and Grace and was filled with visions of lasagna. "Yay! Well, I'll be in my room. I have two French worksheets and some bookwork." I grabbed an apple and walked up the stairs. I sat down at my desk and started working. Questions like "Où habitez-vous?" and " Quel est votre couleur préférée?" were what the French homework consisted of. Math homework was finished in fifteen minutes. All it was was completing the square, so easy. I looked at my clock and it read 4:45 P.M. I knew I had about two hours before dinner would be served so I decided to kill some time by IMing people. Right when I signed on I was invited into a chatroom with KitKat, VaVaVanessa, and ChocoAddict. VaVaVanessa: Hey babe! KitKat: How was today? ChocoAddict: I miss you! FaithfullYours: Sanford hooked up with Grace and lied about it. We had lunch together and he said that Grace chased after him, but he always said 'no'. Then me and Grace saw him at the mall after school and he said they hooked up over the summer. ChocoAddict: Grace is sucha whore! VaVaVanessa: Watch out, Kay. KitKat: What a little skank...there's always Damian. He sounds like a hottie. FaithfullYours: He's a junior. He's so SMART! He has all APs and he's captain of the football, soccer, and tennis teams! KitKat: OMG! I approve! ChocoAddict: You lucky bitch! Hunter's been trying to hump me since you left, btw. VaVaVanessa: Charlie, gross. Kay, GO FOR IT! FaithfullYours: His sister is a perky annoyance though! Like, SERIOUSLY! ChocoAddict: You'll be dating DAMIAN not his sister! He is captain of EVERYTHING! That's hot. KitKat: Faith, don't be stupid! Go for him! VaVaVanessa: Forget Sanford. Any guy who would hook up with Grace is a retard. FaithfullYous: But he's SO cute! And he's a sophomore! KitKat: Damian's a junior! He's more "experienced" ChocoAddict: Not as experienced as Faith though... VaVaVanessa: LMFAO~! FaithfullYours: Shut up! That makes me sound like a total slut! ChocoAddict: Calm down babe! It's not like anyone's going to see this FaithfullYours: Still... KitKat: This is depressing...Anyways, Christian asked me out! VaVaVanessa: ARE YOU SERIOUS?! FaithfullYours: You've been crushing on him since 8th grade! ChocoAddict: Faith, can you drive over here? We totally need to go to Starbucks STAT! I looked at the clock and it said 5:00P.M. New Lain was about an hour and a half drive if I drove fast. If I left now, I could be back home by 8:30 P.M. FaithfullYours: Sure. Meet at same spot. I'll be there in about an hour and a half.I signed off AIM and told my mom I was taking the Honda Acura. "When will you be back?" my father asked. "Around 8:30. Love you! Bye!" I yelled as I raced out the door.As I was speeding down the freeway, visiting Haneel felt like a bad idea.
Chapter 4: Surprise!
I pulled into the Starbucks parking lot and my heart instantly grew heavy. A very familiar person was walking into Starbucks at that moment, alone. I parked in a free spot and hit my fist against the steering wheel and moved my bangs out of my face. Brian Jeeves was my most recent ex-boyfriend. We broke up when I moved because I wanted a fresh start, but I still loved him. I looked at my vibrating phone. It was Charlie. "Hey, it's 6:15 P.M., you almost here?" Charlie asked. "Yeah, I'm in the parking lot," I said. "See you in a minute."I hit end and pulled myself together. I checked my makeup in the rearview mirrors and reluctantly got out of the car. As I walked into Starbucks, I instantly regretted it. For some reason, Brian, Hunter, and almost every guy on the basketball team was there. "The lady of the hour!" Hunter yelled as he raised his plastic cup in the air.The basketball team started cheering for me and making rude remarks. I was now officially in New Lain. Luckily, Charlie came over and rescued me. As we made our way to the table, I couldn't help but notice that Brian was looking intently at his feet. "Well girls...Kat finally has a date with Christian!" Vanessa clapped after our round of Strawberries n' Cream came to the table. "And congratulations to Faith for being able to stay in a room for ten minutes without shoving her tongue down a guy's throat!" Jason, Hunter's best friend, shouted from across the room.I moaned and buried my head in Charlie's shoulder. "Faith, forget about that. Remember the reason why you drove down here," Charlie soothed. "To give Kat all of the dirt we know about Christian." "Okay, I'm ready," Kat said as she retrieved a notebook and pen from her bag.It was a tradition to come to Starbucks and order Strawberries n' Cream to dish out dirt every time one of us got a date. "He has clammy hands," Vanessa said. "He'll try to kiss you twice throughout the whole date. If you resist the first time, he won't use tongue the second time, but if you let him kiss you the first time, he'll shove it down your throat whether you like it or not," Charlie warned. "He has bad breath, so bring either mints or gum and offer him some," I instructed. "Yeah, listen to Faith. she would know. After all, she's made out with every guy in her field of vision," Hunter jeered.I was about to explode if they said one more crude thing. "Yeah. she's a slut, but we always come back for more," some guy said. "So true, dude! We come back because she jumps down our pants if we don't!" Jason laughed.The whole basketball team was giving each other a round of high fives when I went completely berserk. "Shut the fuck up! You are such immature imbeciles!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. "I am NOT a fucking slut and I didn't drive down here to get an earful of your crap! I never did and never will get in ANY of your pants! And Brian! You're just going to let them attack me?! What kind of guy are you?! Did the past three months mean NOTHING?! You are all fucking assholes! Screw you and go to hell, I'm outta here."I slapped Hunter and Jason in the face with all the force I could conjure up before I stormed out of Starbucks and got in my car. I stepped on the gas pedal and sped out of there. I was so hyped up on anger and frustration that I got to Haneel around 7:45 P.M. I didn't want to go home so I drove to the park. I stumbled out of my car and sat on the closest park bench. I cried all of my anger out. Going back to New Lain had been a huge mistake. If I had known that the basketball team AND my ex were going to be there, I wouldn't have wasted my time and gas. Fuck them. Fuck them all. They could drop dead for all I cared. Tears just kept coming, but I didn't try to stop them. I thought that I was done with that stage in my life. The stage where I would cry until I couldn't cry anymore. Just because of one event in my life, my life was ruined. Or, my life in New Lain was anyways. As long as nobody in Haneel knew what horrible thing I did two years ago, I would be fine. I cried until I couldn't cry anymore and walked to my car. It was 8:15 P.M. I had been crying for half and hour, not counting the hour of crying on the way back. I drove home and saw a lime green Prius in our driveway, which probably belonged to Anthony's brother. I checked my reflection in the mirror. I looked like crap, but it didn't matter. I walked into the house and yelled, "I'm back!" "Come in the kitchen, honey. Anthony's brother just got here, come and meet him," my father called. "Okay," I responded meekly.I trudged into the kitchen and saw the five of them around the counter with a pie in the middle. Anthony's brother had his back turned to me, but the jacket he was wearing looked exactly like the one... "Kay, this is Sanford Michaels," my mother said. Sanford turned around with a huge smile that immediately faded when he saw who I was. "You're Anthony's brother?" I asked in my loudest voice. "They kept calling you Kay...I didn't know," he apologized. "My name's Faith Kay, but only my family calls me Kay." I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at the ground. Sanford turned to my parents. "Do you think Faith and I could talk?" My father, oblivious, said, "Sure. You two can go into the living room. Sanford tried to lead me to the living room, but I wouldn't move "I don't want to talk to you." I said goodnight to my parents and ran upstairs where I continued to cry over what happened that day. Shortly after, there was a knock on my door. My head was buried under my pillow and I mumbled, "Come in." "I'm sorry," Sanford's voice said. "Go away," I tried to say in a demanding voice. "I ran after you, calling your name, but I couldn't find you," he said softly. "I ran after you because I wanted to tell you something." I sat up in bed and glared at him. "What more could you possibly have to say to me?" "I wanted to tell you that you're wrong," he said. "I am not hung up on Grace. I mean, I was, but that was way before you moved here. I'm only trying to protect you from Grace." "You have no idea what I've been through," I snarled. "I can take care of myself better than you can." Sanford sat at the foot of my bed and sighed. "You're right. I DON'T know what you've been through, but I want to go through it with you." I stared at him blankly. "I think you should take Anthony home now."Shocked, he stood up and started for the door. He stopped under the doorframe and turned toward me. "I'm not giving up, Faith. I'm going to keep fighting for you until I win," Sanford whispered.He walked out of the room, but, unfortunately, not out of my life.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I went to school the next day with one goal and one goal only: Avoid Sanford at all costs. Seeing as I didn't have any classes with him, I figured that it wouldn't be that difficult. I got up too late to walk to school, so I took the Camry. My mom took the Acura and left early this morning, making me drive Reese to school. We left the house at around 7:00 A.M. because Reese started school at 7:40 A.M. Her school was about fifteen minutes away from home so we had to rush if I wanted to make it to school on time. "Kay! I'm hungry!" Reese complained from the backseat. The car's clock read 7:10 A.M. "Fine, we'll stop by the donut shop," I ordered. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'm leaving you.She scrambled out of the car and raced into the shop as if her life depended on it, which it did. She was back within three minutes, which was pretty impressive. "Nicely done," I congratulated.I got to school at around 7:35 A.M., which turned out to be a good thing because it meant I avoided Sanford successfully. I rushed to my locker and for my French III book. I walked fully alert into chemistry because I didn't want to bump into Sanford for the umpteenth time. The chemistry teacher was still out sick, so we had a free period. I spent the period staring out the window blankly. "I heard that you're into my brother," Klarissa chimed. "Uhm...kinda," I shrugged. "Well, I just want to say that you will two will totally make a cute couple!" Klarissa's best friend, Aimee, gushed. "Uh, I guess, but I don't really know him," I smiled stiffly. Klarissa beamed. "And we'll totally become the best of friends. We could have sleepovers like every night!" "Totally!" Aimee smiled. Klarissa giggled and tossed her blonde side-pony over her shoulder. "Y'know, my brother has been acting totally lovesick ever since he saw you on the first day of school." I could feel my face getting hot. "But don't tell Damian I said that," Klarissa said, grabbing my arm. "He'll totally kill me if he finds out." "Yeah, he'll totally flip out, it's true," Aimee nodded enthusiastically.How many times was I going to have to hear the word 'totally'? "Excuse me, I have to pee," I said as I rushed out of the room.I turned around the corner and bumped into Sanford, AGAIN. So much for my goal. I brushed myself off and ran off to the bathroom without apologizing. Why does this always happen to me?! I stared at myself in the mirror, willing myself not to cry. I stayed that way until my breathing became regular again. I cautiously walked out of the bathroom and into the classroom. "Um, Faith?" A guy came up to me and asked, holding a teddy bear. "Yeah?" I said. "Sanford Michaels told me to give this to you." He held out the stuffed animal and shrugged. I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "Tell Sanford that I want him to leave me alone."The bell rang and I shot out of the room. I walked to French class as fast as my legs would allow me. "Pourquoi marchez-vous rapidement?" Mademoiselle Simpson asked me when I was in the room. "Désolée Mademoiselle Simpson," I apologized in my fluent accent. "Que est le problème?" she asked with growing concern. "Rien," I lied. "Dites la vérité," Mademoiselle warned. "Il n'est rien. Je peux le manipuler," I sighed. "Êtes-vous sûr?" she asked. "Oui. Je suis très bien. Je promets," I said in the most convincing voice I could conjure up. Mademoiselle Simpson smiled and began teaching the class. All she did was go over the homework and she taught us the new vocabulary, so I didn't pay attention. "Mademoiselle Faith! Êtes-vous écoute?" Mademoiselle Simpson snapped. "Oui. Dèsolèe. Continuiez," I said. I sat upright and willed myself to pay attention. English class was boring, yet productive. All we did was bookwork that turned into homework if we didn't finish in class. To keep my mind off of everything that happened yesterday, I decided to do the work instead of blowing it off. The bookwork was fairly easy and took about twenty minutes, leaving me with roughly half an hour to myself. During that time, I finished my French and chemistry homework. After I finished that, I still had ten minutes left so I texted Grace. Faith: Sorry about bailing on you yesterday. Grace: You better be bitch! I need your help picking stuff out! That was the whole point of you coming along Faith: I'm sorry. On the bright side, I ran into D Grace: Really?! And...? Faith: And he took be home. He's really nice and sweet. Turns out he's a smart ass junior and captain of football, soccer, and tennis. Grace: Plus, he's hot. You get D, I get S, deal? Faith: Deal. D is SO hot! Grace: Yeah, he is, but I can't have him... Faith: Because you hooked up with Klarissa's bf last year Grace: How did you know? Faith: D told me on the way home. He has an awesome car. Tesla Roadster in red. Grace: !!! You lucky bitch...Meet at my locker, I have a present for you. Toodles!The bell rang and something told me that I was walking to my death. I opened my locker as slowly and carefully as possible, looking for the familiar head that was Grace. I put my French and English books in my locker in exchange for math and history. I closed my locker and walked cautiously to the horde of guys surrounding who I thought was Grace. I forced myself through the salivating boys and into the middle, where Grace was giggling at something a brunette haired boy was saying, flipping her hair and flirting like crazy. "Hey, so, what's up?" I asked coolly. "Here," Grace handed me a little pink envelope. "Open this when you're ALONE."I pocketed the envelope in my jacket and turned to leave when Grace grabbed my backpack, forcing me backwards. "Our deal," Grace warned. I nodded knowingly and pushed my way out of the cluster. I walked to a deserted hallway and took out the tiny envelope. On the front, my name was written in elegant script. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe she was just passing me a cute little note. I hesitated in opening it and gasped. Inside the envelope was a small tablet of cocaine and a tiny slip of paper with the same elegant script: Tell anyone and you're D-E-A-D. This should help you forget about Sanford. -Kisses and love, GraceMy mouth fell open. How the hell did Grace get coke? Why was she giving me this at school? I crumpled up the envelope and put it at the bottom of my backpack. The bell rang and I ran hurriedly into my math class. The teacher was saying something about linear equations, but I was too agitated to pay attention. I felt like everyone in class knew that Grace gave me coke. My breath started shortening and it felt like the walls were caving in on me. Sweat trickled down my forehead. Don't be stupid, Faith! They couldn't possibly know! When class ended I jumped out of my seat and sprinted to AP World, knocking down a few angry people on the way. I was panting like a dog on a hot summer day when I got to the third level. "Stop acting like you have it," Grace whispered in my ear. I looked up and saw Grace's pale legs. I stood up, my chest heaving up and down. "Why the hell did you give me this AT SCHOOL?!" I hissed, trying not to draw attention to myself. "I'm testing your loyalty and trust. Don't tell my secret and I won't tell any of yours," she smirked. "What do you know?" I asked, trying to play it cool. "I know that you've played with a few emotions and that there's a scandalous reason for why you moved here," she said evilly.Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, SHIT! How did I let all of that slip?! Fuck.... "I promise. Your secrets are my secrets," I said calmly. "You better not tell. I sense that you've been a VERY naughty girl, Faith. And with the power of popularity and a few nasty rumors and facts, your reputation will be shot. So, if you're smart, you'll do as I say, starting with getting Sanford to ask me to homecoming," Grace commanded. I nodded my head solemnly and walked into history class, where I proceeded to text Reese. Faith: Ask Anthony what his brother's cell number is. Reese: Why? Faith: Just ask him Reese: (733)709-1033I saved the number to my phone and paid close attention to what the teacher was saying and took notes about the Renaissance. Our teacher, Mr. Smith, gave us no homework and fifteen minutes of free time. Faith: We need to talk-FaithSo much for avoiding him all day. Sanford: Where and y? Faith: Important information to discuss with you. Sanford: Cool. When and where? Faith: Meet me at the same spot as yesterday Sanford: Can't wait. Btw, did you get the tb? Faith: No. Told him I didn't want it. Sanford: Y? Faith: I told you, I don't need your help or protection. Sanford: I'm sorry about yday: 4give and 4get? Faith: We'll talk about it during lunch, bye Sanford: Cya l8r.Wow, the way Sanford texted was very annoying. I should've told him about that, but it didn't really matter. I took my time walking to my locker, hoping that I would pass by Damian. I didn't because he was standing at my locker. "Hey, thanks for the ride last night." I hugged him around his waist because of his tallness. "No problem. Want to have lunch together?" he offered, his arm around my shoulder. "Wish I could, but I'm eating with Sanford," I replied. I bit my lip, waiting for his response. "I'll come with you," he beamed. "Actually, could you wait for me in the library?" I asked in my sweetest voice. "No problem," he replied. He kissed my cheek and wandered off.I could feel myself blushing. I walked outside and spotted Sanford. "Hey," I hugged him and then sat down. "So, what's up?" he asked. "I want you to ask Grace to be your girlfriend and to homecoming," I said. He had puzzled look on his face. "What? Why?" I sighed deeply. "Because I want you to. Do it, please? For me?" He scratched his head in confusion then whispered, "But I like YOU, Faith..." "I know, but..." I trailed off. "But what?" "Grace knows something that I don't want anyone else to know," I whimpered. He thought about it quietly then answered, "If this is the only what that I can protect you from Grace, then fine." "Thank you, Sanford. You have no idea how much I owe you." I tackled Sanford in a hug. I got up and started up the stairs.It was for the best. You still have Damian I kept reminding myself. Then why do I feel like killing myself?
Chapter 5: Add a Twist
I walked into the library with searching eyes. I spotted Damian waving and I walked over. He was holding a little blue Tiffany Co. box and handed it to me. I opened the box and nestled inside was a silver ring. It had a small diamond in the middle and an intricate design surrounding it. I gasped with delight. "Faith, will you go with me to Homecoming AND be my girlfriend?" he asked sheepishly. I was close to tears. "Yes and yes." We hugged and he started laughing. "What?" I asked. "You're crying," he pointed out. I wiped my lingering tears. "No I'm not." He laughed and hugged me. The bell rang and he stood. "Where are you going?" I pleaded. "To football practice. It's my sixth period," Damian informed me. I pouted. "Have fun. What time does it end?" "Around 5," he said. "Can you stop by?" I thought about it and sighed. "Sure. I have to go get something to eat and do homework, but I'll swing by afterwards.He smiled, slid the ring on my right ring finger, kissed my forehead, and walked out. I finished all of my homework at around 3:45 and drove to Rubio's. I picked up four fish tacos and two bottles of water and drove to Damian's practice at around 4:15. I got there when all of the guys were walking into the locker room. I spotted Damian and waved. He came over and kissed my forehead. "Hey Faith." He was grinning from ear to ear and his hair was dishelved. I blushed for no apparent reason. "Are you guys done? It's only 4:30ish." Damian shrugged. "Coach is going over to the basketball coach's house. He ended practice early because they're watching the Laker game." "Well, I brought you refreshments." I handed him the bag and water bottle. "Awww, thanks Faith." He kissed my forehead again and we walked to the front of the school.Why wouldn't he kiss me? I know he wants to be polite but COME ON! He led me to a tree opposite of the Sanford tree. Damian laid his letterman jacket on the cool grass and motioned for me to sit down.Sanford never did this, I thought. He always made me sit on the wet grass. "Thank you," I said like the polite freak that I was trying to be.We started eating when some blonde girl wearing a way too short cheerleader bounced up to us. "Hey Damian," she said. "You looked hot on the field. Nice work today." She twirled her hair and bit her lip flirtatiously. "Uhm, thanks Kathleen," he shrugged. He put his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. She shot me a glare then giggled. "No, thank YOU. It's a pleasure watching you play." "Uh...okay," he said. She gave me another weird look but then turned it into a cutesy smile for Damian. "See you at my party Saturday!" Was that slut Kathleen just flirting with my boyfriend?! The way she said 'pleasure' made me want to hurl. I didn't realize it, but I had growled. "Whoa! What's wrong?" Damian's eyebrows were knitted. "Who was she?" I asked, trying not to sound jealous. "Oh, her?" he asked pointing behind him. "That's just Kathleen. It's so strange. She's been in all of my classes since 7th grade, but this year I got into senior classes. She's only in my 6th/7th period and homeroom this year."This made my skin boil. That little tramp obviously had a thing for Damian. "Cool. So, are you going to her party?" I asked in my most uninterested tone. "Yeah. I'd ask you to come, but it's strictly for upper classmen only," he apologized.Yeah, that sounded legit... "Oh, whatever. I'm just going to hang out with Sanford Saturday night. Catch a movie, maybe go to the park..."I shrugged. "Oh. I don't HAVE to go to the party. I could hang out with you Saturday," he offered.He took my bait, naturally. "I don't know...Sanford seemed really excited. He even said he had a surprise for me," I said with genuine happiness. "No. Come with me instead. We could go to this hot under 21 club. It's really amazing," he insisted. "I don't want you to miss Kathleen's party!" I said. He shrugged. "There'll be others." I smiled to myself secretly. "Okay fine, I'll cancel on him tonight. He's coming over to pick up his brother. It's so cute, my sister has a massive crush on him." We finished our food and he walked me to my car. "Thanks for the food, Faith," he said. "No problem." I got ready for him to kiss my lips, but he kissed my forehead instead. I smiled at him and got into my car. Why wouldn't Damian kiss me? Did he think that just because I was a sophomore that I wasn't experienced? Well, he was in for a BIG surprise. I have gone the distance a couple of times already, but nobody else needed to know that...Not to sound conceited, but I sure as hell knew that it wasn't because I was ugly. Judging by Damian's killer body and drop-dead gorgeous appearance, I was guessing that he had already had his first kiss millions of years ago. I drove into the garage and sighed. Maybe Damian wanted to take it slow. I walked into the living room where Anthony and Reese were playing our Wii. "Hey cuties!" I beamed. "What're you up to today?" "We're just messing around," Anthony shrugged. Reese playfully shoved him. "WHATever! I'm totally kicking his butt in MarioKart." "Well, have fun!" I sauntered into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of mango juice. Just then, my dad walked in. "Hey Kay! How was your trip last night?" He sat down next to me and bit into an apple. "Horrible. Hunter, Brian, and the basketball team were there. They kept bagging on me so I exploded. That's why I came home looking so crappy," I confessed. I had no secrets from my parents. Ever since I saw how understanding they were after my incident, I never kept anything from them. He pulled me into a bear hug and stroked my hair. "Don't worry honey. Things will get better now that we're in the city." "I really hope so Daddy. I really, truly hope so." I let go of my embrace and walked into my room. I checked my email and signed onto AIM. I was instantly bombarded with IMs from five different people. KitKat: Are you okay babe? VaVaVanessa: How are you? ChocoAddict: Text me. MissPopularity: Call me ASAP! HotHunter: Hey slut! What's up?!I decided to call Grace, then three-way with Vanessa, Kat, and Charlie. "Hello?" Grace picked up. "Hey, it's Faith. What's so urgent?" I asked. "Sanford asked me to Homecoming!" she squealed. "Oh my God, that's awesome!" I said with fake excitement. "I know! So, we totally have to go dress shopping on Saturday," she said. "Sorry, I can't. I have a date with Damian." I said calmly. "What?! Oh wow!!! We're totally going shopping afterschool Friday! Where are you going?" she asked with genuine curiosity. "Some under 21 club," I told her. "But I can go shopping with you on Sunday. Friday and Saturday are no good, I'm busy." "Sweet. Well, I have to go, bye!" Grace hung up the phone and I called my best friends. "Guess what?!" I shouted into my phone. "What?" Vanessa asked. "DAMIAN ASKED ME TO BE HIS GIRLFRIEND!" I yelled into the receiver. "AHHHH!" was all I heard. "AND he asked me to Homecoming AND we're going on a date Saturday AND HE GAVE ME A TIFFANY'S DIAMOND RING!" There were more high pitch shrieks coming from the other line. "We are most definitely driving down there afterschool Friday!" Charlie exclaimed. "We need to find you a hot outfit!" "Yeah. We could still go to Starbucks, but we have no dirt on him," Kat said. "I could tell you about my date with Christian instead." "Wonderful! We'll be at your house at around 4:30. No Damian, just us," Vanessa ordered. "Sure! Maybe we could hit Boba Loca afterwards," I suggested. "Perfect!" Charlie squealed joyfully. "It's all set, later ladies!"We all hung up and I IMd Hunter back. FaithfullYours: I'm not a slut. You're such a bastard, what do you want? HotHunter: whoa pottymouth! calm down. i jst want 2 say sry 4 ruining ur nite. FaithfullYours: Whatever. Now, go screw yourself or something. HotHunter: ur fiesty 2day! wassup w/ that? FaithfullYours: I don't need your crap Hunter.I blocked his sn. What the hell was Hunter's problem? I IM'd Brian to find out what was up with him last night. FaithfullYours: What was up with you last night? Brianiac4: Sorry. FaithfullYours: 'Sorry' isn't going to work, I want an explanation. Brianiac4: I don't know. I'm still in pain from our break up I guess. FaithfullYours: Well...I'm sorry about that, but we promised to stay friends. FaithfullYours: And friends help each other out. Brianiac4: I know. I'm sorry. But I can't talk to you right now. The pain's still fresh. Brianiac4 has signed off.Wow. Brian was such an asshole! I wonder what I ever saw in him. Frustrated, I turned my iHome on and practiced the dance/drill routine that I was to perform at the Homecoming Rally in three weeks. It was to the song "What You Got" by Colby O'Donis. I practiced my routine about twenty times in a row and was out of breath. It was about 5:45 when my mom called me down to eat. Anthony was still there after dinner, so I offered to take him home. "No, but thank you," he declined. "Sanford is coming at 7." "I thought he worked until 8?" I said. "No, he works until 8 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays he works until 7." I looked at the clock. It was 6:15 P.M. which gave me roughly forty-five minutes to think of an escape plan. I scrolled through my contacts and found Damian's number. I texted him. Faith: Come pick me up please. Damian: Kathleen is over, but I can pick you up.What the fuck was she doing over there?! I picked up my keys off the rack and stormed out of my house. That bitch was going to get it...bad. I called Grace and she gave me directions to Damian's house. I was too dazed to ask how she knew. His house turned out to be only five minutes away. I parked on the curb and knocked on the door. I heard footsteps and a girl giggling. Damian opened the door, fortunately, fully clothed. "Hi Faith!" He kissed my cheek. "Come on in."At least he was getting lower. "What's up?" I asked. "Kathleen lives across the street and needed help with her trigonometry homework, so she came over," Damian explained.Damn, this girl was good. "Yeah, since he's in calc AB, I thought he could help me," Kathleen smiled. "So, why'd you stop by?" he asked. "Not that I mind." I smiled. "I just wanted to thank you for the gorgeous ring you gave me today." I held out my hand and Kathleen suddenly became speechless. She murmured something that sounded like "bye" and walked out. "No problem. Beauty deserves beauty," Damian smiled. He hugged me and it felt nice. We pulled apart slightly. He tilted my chin up and softly kissed my eager lips. It was just a little peck, but it felt electric. I never felt this way after just one soft kiss. I smiled through my eyes and hugged him again. We just stood there like that for what seemed like eternity. We slowly let go of each other and he stroked my cheek. "You have an amazing smile," he whispered. "It's your best feature."I was taken aback. The boys back in New Lain always said that my butt or boobs were my best asset. It was nice hearing someone say that my best feature was something other than a body part. I stood on my toes and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Thank you," I said, looking into his eyes. He laughed and ruffled my hair. "You're so cute when you look up at me. Your eyes are so big and doe-like." I looked away and blushed. "Don't turn away from me," he said.He bent down and kissed me, a little but more intense this time, but no tongue. I pulled away, slightly out of breath. I rested my head on his chiseled chest and smiled. I loved how even the slightest physical contact with Damian shot sparks through my body. "So, why did you really come here?" Damian whispered in my ear. I sighed. "Because you said Kathleen was here." Damian laughed. "No, why did you want me to pick you up in the first place." "Because Sanford is coming over at 7 to pick up his brother, Anthony, and I didn't want to be there when he did," I said. "Why is his brother there?" he asked. "He and my sister are almost together. They have crushes on each other," I explained. "Oh, well, here's a reason for you to stay longer." He said as he lifted my chin again. He kissed me with the same intensity as before, but it was longer. Being the gentleman that he was, he kept us standing upright. Instead of feverishly making out, it was slow and beautiful. I melted into him. It was as if our bodies were made for each other. After a while, I slowly pulled away, my lips chapped and out of breath. "Oh wow..." I gasped quietly, touching my lips. "Yeah, wow," he echoed. I fumbled for my phone. It was only 6:45. "Uhm, do you think I could stay for, like, twenty minutes?" Damian shrugged. "Sure, what do you want to do?" "What would you usually be doing at this time?" I asked. "Hmm...I would be playing Call of Duty 4," he said. "Then go play! I'll watch," I urged. He was actually pretty good at it and it was fun to watch. He always had me make the decisions for the game. I hadn't had laughed this hard or had this much fun with a guy in a long time. Damian even let me try. I was so horrible at videogames, and I told him that, but he insisted. I reluctantly took the controller and started playing. He told me what buttons did what and then he told me what I was supposed to do. Every time the enemy got close, I panicked and frantically pressed every single button. Damian started laughing at me and couldn't stop. "Just press the button, Faith!" he half shouted half laughed. I pressed all of the buttons. "It's not working!" "Wow, you're horrible at this!" Damian chuckled. "I told you!" I exclaimed.I pressed the pause button and doubled over in laughter. "Well, it's almost 7:30, I think it's safe for you to go home," Damian said.Just then there was a knock on his bedroom door and Klarissa came in. "Oh," she said in a surprised tone. "I thought you were with Kathleen. I just came to figure out what was so funny." "Faith and I were just playing a video game," Damian told her. "Yeah. Sorry if we disturbed you. I should get going though." I apologized.I kissed Damian's cheek and walked out of his room. "So," I turned toward Klarissa. "How often does Kathleen come over?" Klarissa shrugged. "Almost every day, why?" "Uhm...is there any way you could make those visits less often?" I asked. "Sure! Anything for you, Faith! I'll totally make sure of that," she assured me. "Thanks. She just seems really into Damian. And not that I don't trust him, but he's a junior in high school and Kathleen is a major flirt," I explained. "Oh, Kathleen and my brother are totally over, he dumped her freshmen year," she said matter of factly. "Wait, what? Rewind and explain." "Damian and Kathleen have been best friends since the dawn of time. In sixth grade, he finally asked her out. They were together until the summer leading into sophomore year. Kathleen got really clingy that summer, so he dumped her. For the past two years she's been all flirty with him," she told me. "Wow, are they still friends?" I asked. "Yeah, totally. They're the best of friends, but Damian is oblivious to the fact that she's still into him," Klarissa sighed. "Anyways, Kathleen isn't as popular or hot as you are. Plus, I know my big brother, he would never cheat on you."Although she didn't sound sarcastic at all, I didn't know if Damian was loyal enough to become serious. His history with Kathleen worried me. If Damian ever found out about my past on the other hand, I knew he would dump me in a heartbeat. As long as I did what Grace told me to, he would never find out and he'd never get back together with Kathleen. Faith Kay Anderson, slave of Grace Lee Kim, at your service.
Chapter 6: Jackson?
Friday came faster than I expected it to. Over the course of this week, I've had three pop quizzes, four essays and one test. My classes turned out to be pretty hardcore. When the bell rang at 3:00 P.M., I was so relieved. I walked to my locker and Damian was there. "Why aren't you getting ready for practice?" I asked. "I don't have practice. I'm free this whole afternoon." He was grinning like mad. "I was thinking that we could hang out. "Damian, I can't. Vanessa, Kat, and Charlie are coming, remember?" I reminded him. "Oh yeah..." he looked down at the ground. "Oh well, I'll find something to do. Have fun, babe." He hugged me and kissed my forehead.Aww, how sad. I felt bad, but I barely got any time with them. I hopped into the Acura and drove home. It was only 3:15 P.M. I knew that New Lain got out at 2:45 P.M., so they were about an hour away. Reese decided to go to Anthony's house today, so I had the house to myself. I cranked up my iHome to full volume and practiced my routine and danced around while making cookies. Shortly after, the doorbell rang. It was only 3:30 P.M., so I knew it couldn't be them. I lowered the volume on my iPod nano and answered the door. On the other side of the door was Sanford Michaels. I stood there, speechless. "Can I come in?" Sanford asked. "Sure," I said, finding my voice again. I led him into the foyer and sat down. "I bet you're wondering why I'm here," he said. I nodded. "Well, I just wanted to tell you that although I'm going to Homecoming with Grace, I'd rather go with you," he confessed. I sighed. "Sanford, don't worry about me. I already have a date for Homecoming." "I know. Everyone knows," he said tentatively. "How?" I was confused. "It's not every day that the school god, Damian Adams, gives a diamond ring to the school's most unattainable girl," he shrugged. "Oh yeah, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you myself," I apologized. "It's cool. I'm fine with it because I know that deep down, you still have feelings for me," he said cockily. "Sanford, that doesn't matter right now!" I raised my voice. "Grace wants you, so I have to give you to her." "But why? What is Grace holding over you?" he asked, more concerned than ever. "I can't tell you!" I was so close to tears. "Sanford, please try to understand. We can't be together. Not now at least. I have a boyfriend and you are an 'almost' of Grace. The most we can be is friends, I'm sorry." "Faith, I like you more than anything. I can wait. I've been waiting for sixteen years for a girl like you to come into my life. I will wait forever if that's what it takes. The day I die is the day I give up on you, on us. Faith Kay, I'll go to the ends of the earth and back for you." He stood up and left without another word.Oh...my...Sanford was such an amazing guy. If only Grace didn't know anything! How could I have been so stupid! I couldn't dwell on this matter anymore. Today was supposed to be all about Damian. Adorably hot Damian. I took the cookies out of the oven and placed them on the cooling rack. There were knocks on my door at 4 o'clock. I opened the door and the four of us started squealing and jumping around. "Mmm, I smell cookies!" Charlie exclaimed. We walked into the kitchen and ate the cookies and gossiped for half an hour. At 4:30, we all got into Kat's Lexus and drove to the mall. The first store we went to was Charlotte Russe. "You have amazing legs. Definitely minidress," Vanessa said. "And your arms are so slender. Nothing with thick straps," Charlie responded. "Damian's eight inches taller than you, so stay away from kitten heels. Wedges are to chunky to dance in, flats make you way too short. Stilettos all the way," Kat smiled. "Well ladies, let's get to work!"For roughly two hours, I was a barbie doll. I had to try on what seemed like a million dresses. All of them with different colors and styles. After trying on carious dresses, the three of them finally decided on a black, sequined Erica Davies bubble sleeveless minidress with a rouged bosom with lots of glitter. After the dress, we moved onto shoes. They picked a pair of black Christian Louboutin peep toed pumps. We were all exhausted and went to Starbucks afterwards. "Famian is going to die when he sees you in your outfit tomorrow," Vanessa gushed.We sipped our drinks and Kat told us all about Christian. They went to the movies and ate at a quaint little ice cream place. She dodged the first kiss and the second one was sweet. Overall, Kat really liked Christian and they were going out again next week. "Faith, Blake's been asking about you. He says he misses you," Charlie smiled.Black was a senior at New lain High and a total hottie. I've had the hugest crush on him since I was a freshman. Back in New Lain, I was a nobody. Yeah, hard to believe now. I became known throughout school, but not in a good way. Blake was a brawny football and basketball player. He was the most unattainable boy on earth, yet I had a massive crush on him anyways. "Really? What'd he ask?" I said eagerly. "He said that he thinks you're 'awesome' because of what you did Tuesday night," Kat said making air quotes, with her fingers. I squealed. "Blake Erickson thinks I'm awesome!" "Don't get too excited, babe. You're already taken." Charlie reminded me and point to my ring. "And he has outstanding taste in jewelry!" "Absolutely! That ring is so exquisite! He must be loaded," Vanessa gasped. "Speaking of Damian, his ex girlfriend turns out to be his best friend. They've been friends for as long as they can remember. She's always all over him. I swear, she looks like she wants to rip his shirt off with her teeth and do him every time she sees him!" I told them. "Whore," Vanessa spat. "Bitch," Kat grumbled. "Fucking slut," Charlie snapped. "It's not like I can get her out of his life! She's his best friend. He goes to her for anything and everything. I can't forbid him from being her friend. She lives across the street from him!" I exclaimed. "Plus, she hates me and I hate her, but I swear I will beat that girl into dust if she lays another hand on Damian." Vanessa, Kat, and Charlie came back to my house and ate dinner. Unfortunately, they had to leave around 8. They left and I was once again left alone. I walked back into the house and flopped myself onto the couch. "Kay, can you go pick up your sister?" my dad asked. "They live about ten minutes away, but I don't want her to walk this late." "Sure," I said. I got into the car and drove to the Michaels' household and knocked on their door. "Hi, I'm here to pick up Reese," I told their mother. "Come right in." She looked like a regular stay at home mom.I sat down on the couch and waited as Mrs. Michaels went upstairs to get Reese. Once she disappeared, Sanford came strolling in through the door. "Oh, hey, uh what're you doing here?" Sanford asked. "I just came to pick up my sister," I said. "Do you want something to drink?" he asked politely. "Sure." I shrugged.I followed him into the kitchen and leaned against the counter. "How was work?" I asked casually. "Grace came in like, five times," he chuckled. "Wow! That's so stalkerish!" I laughed. "My brother is totally in love with your sister by the way, but he's way too shy," he told me. "How cute! Do you remember your first crush?" I asked him. "Yeah, back in 5th grade I had the HUGEST crush on this little girl in m class. I gave her candy for Valentine's day, but she liked my best friend," he admitted. "Aww, how sad. Let's hope Reese and Anthony work out. They're adorable together!" I sounded so girly, gross!Sanford and I talked about random stuff and Reese came down. We said good-bye to Sanford, Anthony and their mom and went home. "So, Sanford told me that Anthony had a crush on you," I singsonged. Reese blushed. "Really?" I nodded. "Duh, who wouldn't?!" "He's SOOO cute! He's smart, nice, athletic, and he has such a great attitude!" she gushed. "Well, you better hold onto him, he sounds like a great guy," I smiled. Kinda like his brother.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Damian called me in the afternoon and said that he would pick me up at around 5:30. That gave me three hours to get ready. Klarissa and Aimee stole the phone from Damian and said that they were coming over to my house to help me get ready. "No, it's fine. I don't need any help," I refused. "We totally insist!" Aimee said. "Totally! We want to help. We're coming over, see you in five!"Klarissa hung up the phone and I groaned. I trudged downstairs when the doorbell rang and Klarissa and Aimee came busting in. "We are going to make you the hottest girl in Haneel," Aimee said. "Let's get to work."They dragged me upstairs and into the bathroom, where they proceeded to attack my hair with barrels, straighteners, brushes, combs, bobby pins, and hairspray. When they were done with my hair, it looked nothing short of amazing. They put it in this half updo and my hair glistened. "Your hair is perfect, now, go put on your dress and don't mess it up!" Klarissa chided.I walked into my room and Aimee helped me put on my dress. I was about to put my heels on, when Aimee yelled at me. "Not yet. We still have to paint them!" she scolded. I sighed and held my tongue.Two hours had already gone by on just my hair alone. They painted the tips black and did a clear overcoat. They made my eyes smolder and my skin glow. With half an hour left until Damian picked me up, they were finally done. "Have fun with my brother!" Klarissa said as she and Aimee got into her Jag and drove off.I looked at myself in my closet mirror. My legs looked longer, my hair looked amazing, and my chest appeared to be bigger. I smiled at my reflection. Klarissa and Aimee did 100 times better than what I could've done. I admired myself for a second longer than necessary and carefully walked into the kitchen. My Samsung 629 vibrated in my purse and I rushed to the living room. It was Sanford. "Hey, what's up?" I asked. "Just wanted to say hope you have a good time with Damian tonight," he said. "How did you know?" I asked, surprised. "Faith, you're popular. Everything you say and do is noted for by everyone. You bought an Erica Davies dress and Christian Louboutin peep toed somethings," he said. "Ohmigod. People know that?" "Yeah. It was all Grace talked about last night. She's pretty jealous of you," he told me. "What the eff? She is not!" Was she really? "It's true. She was like, 'Faith has everything'. I feel bad for her," he sighed.Just then the doorbell rang. "Sanford, I have to go, Damian's here. Bye." I put my phone in my Coach clutch and opened the door. Standing in front of me was Damian in a red short sleeve button down marc by Marc Jacobs shirt and American Eagle jeans. He was holding a single white rose and his bangs were drooping over his right eye. "Hey Damian." I accepted the rose and locked the door behind me. "So, where are we going?" "Club Extraordinaire. It just opened last weekend. My uncle kinda owns it," he said as he made a left turn. "Wow! I'm excited. Your sister and Aimee went all out on my hair," I said as I instinctively touched my hair. "Yeah, they loved doing that with Kathleen," he sighed.Okay, new subject please! Like, now! "So, what'd you do all day?" I asked, quickly changing the subject. "I had practice this morning and after that, Kathleen came over and we chilled," he shrugged.Why does she have to live across the street from him? "Cool."He pulled into the packed parking lot and parked in a V.I.P. spot. He opened the car door for me and we walked right in. The club had a techno feel to it with its pulsing vibe. The lights were blue and purple and the black walls pulsed with Jordin Sparks' "One Step at a Time". The place looked awesome. "This place is great!" I shouted. "Yeah! Want to dance?" he responded.He led me to the middle of the dance floor and we immediately started dancing. Damian was a pretty good dancer. He knew how to keep a beat and he looked hot when he was sweaty. He, surprisingly, kept up with me. He kept his rhythm with mine and we danced to "What You Got" and "Party People" before we sat down to eat. When we sat down, we were panting slightly. His hair was dishelved and my hair was coming undone. "Excuse me. I'm going to go to the bathroom to fix my hair; order me some water for now!" I shouted over the music.I pushed through the gyrating bodies and made it to the ladies' room in one piece. Inside there were so many girls just standing there, gossiping. "That guy in the red shirt is so hot! He goes to our school, but he's dating someone named Faith. I'm so jealous of her," a girl in a black pleated miniskirt and white tube top whined. "No. Did you see that guy in the white shirt and leather jacket? So freaking sexy. I'm dancing with him no matter what," her friend said. I just rolled my eyes and made my way to the mirror.I took all of the bobby pins out of my hair and shook out my curls. So much better. I maneuvered my way back to the table and saw that Damian wasn't alone. His arm was draped over a giggling girl. Kathleen. Damian saw me standing there, a good ten feet away and motioned for me to come over. I shook my head with a disgusted look on my face and disappeared into the crowd. I grabbed the first guy by the shoulder and made him turn toward me. I smiled sexily and started dancing with him. I danced with all of my anger and frustration. Kathleen could have Damian tonight. I was dancing with a hot guy who was into me, not some other sleaze. After about ten songs, we walked to a vacant table and ordered some nachos. "So, what's your name, mystery girl?" he asked as he smiled. He was the guy in the white shirt and leather jacket that that one girl in the bathroom was talking about. "Faith," I answered. "What's yours?" "Jackson Fisher," he replied. "Where do you go to school? "I'm a sophomore at Heil High," I responded. He smiled. "I'm a sophomore, too. I got to Martin High, it's about five minutes away from Heil High." "Really? How cool. Maybe we could hang out sometime," I suggested and flashed him a dazzling smile. "Gimme your phone."He gave me his phone and I gave him mine and we punched in our numbers. "Uhm, you have a call from someone named Damian." He handed my phone and I gave him back his. "This shouldn't take long," I said. "Hello?" "Faith, where are you? I've been looking all over for you," he said. "Just go back to Kathleen. She's probably lonely," I snapped as I hung up on him and turned of my phone. I was not going to let a bitch like Kathleen ruin my night. I grabbed Jackson's neck and started moving my lips with his. Take that, Damain. He poked his tongue into my mouth and my tongue responded to his. I finally let go of him when the waitress came with our food. "Uh, Faith, I'm sorry, but, I have a girlfriend," Jackson said awkwardly. I shrugged. "And I have a boyfriend." Jackson laughed. "I won't tell if you don't." "I promise. Let's be friends." I put a chip in my mouth and giggled. "Good."We ate and talked for the longest time. We finally went back to the dance floor at around 7:30. We danced the night away and I felt like I was high. Being with Jackson was fun. When I finally got Damian and Kathleen off of my mind, I saw them a couple feet away, dancing like they came here together. Kathleen had her arm around Damian's neck, and his hands were on her hips. I put my arm around Jackson's neck and pulled him closer. I knew Damian was watching my every move. I smiled up at Jackson, who was smiling back at me. I kissed him again and he didn't hesitate to pull me closer. We were kissing with so much passion when Damian yanked me out of his arms. "What the hell, Faith?!" Damian shouted. "Do you even know this guy?!" "Stop acting like you own me!" I spat. "Just go back to Kathleen. That's who you'd rather be with anyways!" "What're you talking about?!" he yelled. "We are NOT having this conversation!" I pulled off the ring and shoved it on Kathleen's finger. "I now pronounce you slut and JERK!"I stormed out of the club and called Sanford. I pressed 'call', but a hand took my phone away. "Nobody else needs to know of this. I let Damian punch me and he said that he'll talk to you tomorrow," Jackson soothed. "Let's go get some ice cream and we'll talk." I nodded numbly and followed Jackson to his car.He drove to Yogurtland and we talked about everything and anything that came to our minds. I explained the ring to him and who Kathleen was and my feelings about her. He listened to everything I had to say about Damian, Kathleen, and Sanford, and in return, I listened to everything he had to say about his girlfriend, Trish, and his best friend, Kyle. We talked for the longest time. In the end, we decided to be friends and that tonight's kisses never happened. He drove me home and made me promise to call him after Damian talked. If only everything was as simple and easy and talking to Jackson....
Chapter 7: Help the Slut...s
On Sunday, I stayed out of the house as long as possible. I did all of the little errands for my parents and left the stuff on the doorstep. I went running for an hour and then went to the gym. I drove to New Lain to talk about everything that happened last night. They comforted ma and we had lunch at Applebee's. Luckily, nobody was there to torture me. I got home at around 8 and saw Damian sitting on the couch. "Get out," I said flat out. "I've been sitting here since 7 A.M., more than twelve hours," he said. "I'm not leaving until we talk about last night." "Have fun sitting there until you die, because I'm not talking to you."I walked up to my room and locked the door behind me. Who the hell let him sit there for more than half a day? "Faith Kay Anderson! You open this door RIGHT NOW!" My dad pounded on the door, his voice booming. "Young lady, OPEN THIS DOOR!" I huffed and opened my door. "What?" "I want you to march downstairs and work things out with that boy. He's been sitting there for the whole day just staring at the door. No food, no nothing. Go!" my dad ordered.I shuffled back into the living room much to my dismay and stood in front of Damian with my arms crossed. "Before we start talking, you have to promise to tell nothing but the truth," I said. "Begin." Damian sighed. "What was last night about?" "You were with your ex-girlfriend. I got pissed. You didn't come after me, so I danced with another guy. You had your hands all over Kathleen when you were dancing with her, I shoved my tongue into a guy's mouth. Kathleen deserves you, so I gave her the ring. The end," I said in one breath. "Faith, Kathleen's only my friend. At least I didn't kiss her," he scoffed. "You're so naive. She's in love with you. Open your eyes and you'll see that I'm right," I snapped. "Kathleen and I are OVER. We're JUST FRIENDS!" Damian exclaimed. "Then explain to me why you're with her more than anybody!" I yelled at him. "FAITH KAY! DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE AT THAT NICE GENTLEMAN!" my mom scolded from upstairs. "I don't know," he said, lowering his voice. "She's my best friend!" "Well, I'm sick and tired of her. I've been with you for less than a week and I'm already annoyed," I said. "I'm giving you an ultimatum. You either walk out that door as the best friend of Kathleen or you walk out of here as my boyfriend, but you can't be both." Damian was silent. "Well, what's your answer?" I asked impatiently and cocked my hip out. "I'm walking out of here as your boyfriend," he said at last. "I promise, no more Kathleen." He kissed my forehead, then cheek, and, finally, my lips. "Are you sure about your decision?" I asked cautiously. "Do you want me to change my answer?" "No," I responded quickly. He laughed. "Okay then. I believe this belongs to you." He pulled out my ring and slid it on my finger. I smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry I made you choose." He shrugged. "You're right, she IS into me. Having her in my life would only ruin it. That's why I chose you." We hugged and I made him come with me to go get something to eat, seeing as he just sat on my couch all day. We went to Denny's and had dinner. "So, what did you do that kept you out all day?" Damian asked me after we gave the waiter our order. "I think the better question would be what DIDN'T I do," I laughed. "I did a lot or running, went to the gym, and I even drove to New Lain." "Man, you REALLY didn't want to talk to me, did you?" Damian half heartedly laughed. "No, because you really hurt me last night," I said quietly. "It was our first date and you let Kathleen ruin it." "I don't even know why she came," he said. "Well, I do. She's in love with you. Whenever she sees you, her face lights up. She's going to throw a hissy fit when you tell her that you can't be friends with her anymore." "I see that not, but can I still tutor her?" he asked. "She's paying me." "You can only tutor her if Klarissa is home or if you're at the library," I allowed. "But if she starts talking about something not related to school, end the session." Damian nodded. "Okay. I understand. I'm sorry for ruining our date last night." Our food arrived and we started eating. I shrugged. "It's okay, just, don't do it again. That really hurt." "Since I can't see Kathleen, you can't see Jackson," Damian demanded. "Uh...wrong. I can see Jackson if I want to. There's a difference between Jackson and Kathleen," I said. "Oh yeah? What?" he challenged. "Jackson has a girlfriend. They've been together for three months," I countered. "Well, where was she last night? Why was he there by himself?" he asked. "And, why did he willingly kiss you?" "Like us, they had a fight and he came to the club with his friend. He went to have fun, not get laid," I shot back. "Oh...how do you know all of this?" I sighed. "Because we went to Yogurtland and talked after I stormed out." "And that's not the same thing?!" he raised his voice. "It's not the same thing because Jackson isn't trying to break us up. He has his own girlfriend and I have you, He respects that. Kathleen doesn't," I tried to explain. "Kathleen is doing nothing of the sort! She's just a flirty girl is all. She's always been like that. She always flirted with the guys on my team, even when we were together. Plus, she likes this other guy," Damian said in defense. "Oh really? Who?" I folded my arms and waited for his answer. "The goalie for the soccer team. His name's Alexander, and he doesn't like being called 'Alex'. He's a senior," he said. "Oh..." my voice faltered. "Yeah. C'mon. Have some faith in me." He put an emphasis on 'faith'. I laughed. "Okay! You can still be friends with Kathleen." We left Denny's at 9:30 P.M. and I drove him home. When we got out of the car, Kathleen came prancing out of her front door and across the street. She was wearing Pink pajama bottoms and a white tee. "Hey Damian! Hi Faith!" she greeted cheerfully. "Where were you all day, Damian? You ignored all of my texts and phone calls." "I was with Faith all day," he lied. "Oh. Well, I need help with my psych paper, can you help me?" she batted her eyelashes. "Kathleen, you know I'm not taking psych," he sighed. "But I need help and no one's offering," she whimpered. "I could help," I offered. "I don't know much about psychology, but I'm pretty helpful." Kathleen clapped. "Yay! Damian, you come too!"Kathleen pulled us across the street and into her room. Her walls were covered with cheer posters and pictures that displayed her popularity. Her color scheme was like our school's, blue and gold. She flopped onto her bed with her laptop and opened an application. "So, I need to write a paper on the power of suggestion, but I don't know where to start. Any ideas?" she asked in a hopeful voice. I thought for a moment then spoke. "What about something like, the brain responds to its surroundings. For instance, if you see a certain style, like, layering your clothes. Your brain instantly takes that in and when you go shopping that weekend, you instantly think of buying light-weight clothes so that they're easier to layer. Your brain makes you feel like what you see is like, the new trend or something. If you never saw that style, your brain wouldn't suggest it to you. Also, verbal usage can suggest things too. One example of that is peer pressure. Your friends keep urging you, and your brain might eventually make you curious. You'll start thinking that what they're trying to get you to do is interesting. It all comes down to your surroundings." "Wow Faith! You're, like, BRILLIANT!" Kathleen trilled. "You're so awesome!" "Yeah. You might even be smarter than me!" Damian said in disbelief. "Wow, I'm dating a brainiac!" I laughed. "Thanks, but it's not that big of a deal. Really." "Not a big deal?!" Kathleen scoffed. "You totally saved my ass!" She threw her arms around me and tackled me in a hug. "Now go away. I need to write," she playfully said.We walked back across the street and I drove home. I reflected on everything that happened today. Damian waiting in my house. Arguing about Kathleen and Jackson. Helping Kathleen with her psychology paper. Everything would be fine...I hope.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Monday was the day that I promised to have lunch with Jackson. I called him on my way home from Damian's last night and he insisted that I got out to eat with him after school today. Today was also the day that I started going to Dance/Drill zero period. They told me not to go for the first week since I wasn't a returner. Practice this morning was the easiest thing in the world. Our instructor, Kaycee Ann, had us practice our Homecoming Rally routine. I hit all of the sharps and leaps while my fellow dancers fumbled. Kaycee Ann was so impressed with my dancing ability that she put me in the front. After practice, all the girls congratulated me and said I did an awesome job. What a great start! We did a periodic table lab in chem and went over new vocabulary in French. So far, today had been a carefree day. I walked to my locker and Damian was there, but something was missing. The horde of guys was gone, which meant that something was wrong with Grace. I texted her to see what's up. Faith: Where are you? Grace: 2nd floor bathroom Faith: Why? Grace: Come up here. "Sorry Damian, but Grace needs my help. I have to go," I apologized. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him for you," Kathleen beamed.I rushed up the stairs and saw that Grace was crying the corner, near the paper towel dispenser. "Grace, what's wrong?" I asked. "Nothing," she wailed. "Stop lying. Tell me what's going on," I pleaded. "I stopped by Beachworks yesterday because Sanford volunteered to fill in for a sick co-worker. I poked my head in to see how he was doing and I saw him flirting and intimately hugging some customer. Like, he was seriously flirting," she whimpered. "Well Grace, it's okay for Sanford to flirt," I said. "So it's okay for Damian to flirt?" she snapped. "Nooo, that's different. Damian is my boyfriend," I said. "Sanford's my boyfriend, too! He asked me Saturday night. We went Homecoming shopping. That's why I cancelled on you yesterday," she explained. The bell rang and we got up. "Don't worry Grace. I'll talk to Sanford about it," I comforted her.All through English, algebra, and AP world, I thought of ways to tackle this problem. If Sanford really was Grace's boyfriend, officially, then he had a lot of explaining to do. Text Sanford from Faith: Need to meet Faith: it's urgent Sanford: About what? Faith: Loyalty and honesty Sanford: Do we HAVE to? Faith: Yes. Meet me at the tree.On my way to AP world, I tracked Damian down. "I'm so sorry, but I have to talk to Sanford during lunch. I have to straighten some things out for Grace," I said in a rushed tone. "Okay. Hang out after school? My place?" Damian suggested. I made a face. "Sorry, can't. Lunch with Jackson." "Well, when CAN I hang out with my own girlfriend then?" he asked. "I'm yours all day tomorrow. I promise." I kissed his cheek and ran up the stairs. While we were taking notes on the industrial revolution, my phone vibrated in my pocket. Jackson's number flashed on the screen with a little envelope. Jackson: Hello gorgeous Faith: Uhm, do you have the right number? Jackson: This is Faith, right? Faith: Yeah... Jackson: Then I have the right number ;] Faith: Ohhkay...what's up? Jackson: Did you drive to school? Faith: No, Damian picked me up. Jackson: Perfect. I'll pick you up in the parking lot right after school. Faith: Excellent. I'll be waiting... Jackson: Counting the minutes...I slipped my phone back into the pocket of my A&F shorts and bit my lip. I would have to delete those text messages just as a precaution. Did Jackson seriously flirt with me? Did I flirt back? Man oh man was I stupid. Why was it easy to flirt with Jackson? If I wanted Damian to believe that Jackson was just a friend, I had to control myself. this would be one of the topics I would have to discuss with Jackson at lunch today. I focused on the notes for the rest of the period and was relieved when class was over. We did so much highlighting and writing that my hand started cramping up. On the way down the stairs, I massaged the ball of my hand all the way to my locker. "Hello beautiful," Damian greeted when I got to my locker. "Hi Damian. What's up?" I asked. "Just wanted to see you before you go off with Sanford." He spat at Sanford's name. I encircled my arms around his waist and buried my head in his chest. "Damian, trust me. I'm going to be yelling at Sanford, not making out with him," I said incredulously. "Jackson's my kissing friend, duh!" "Ha ha, very funny." He lifted my chin so I was looking up at him. I'm your making out friend and don't you forget it." He kissed my lips softly and when he pulled away, the kiss lingered. "Uhm, I should uh...go do...yeah," I stuttered. He laughed. "You're so cute." Damian kissed the top of my head. "Now go before Sanford thinks you stood him up."I smiled and ran off outside where I found Sanford reading "Julius Caesar". "Sorry I'm late! I had a thing to take care of," I apologized. "Not my problem," Sanford shrugged. "So what's so urgent?" "We need to talk about Grace. First of all, congrats. Second, how could you?!" I socked his arm. "Thanks and what did I do?!" he asked, rubbing his forearm. "You openly flirted with a customer yesterday! Grace walked in and saw you," I growled. "Serves her right for coming to check up on me every five minutes. She needs to learn to trust me," he grumbled. "So you did it with the intention of torturing Grace for not trusting you? How low," I snarled. "You need to talk things out with her." I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Grace. "She'll be here in a minute. Good luck, pretty boy." I walked back into school and Damian popped out of nowhere. He grabbed me by my waist and crushed my lips with his. He kissed me hungrily and I grabbed at his neck. Our tongues were in perfect harmony. I pulled away from Damian when I ran out of breath. "I told you that I was your making out partner," he whispered in my ear when he saw the look on my face. "Better than Jackson?" I nodded and sighed. "Much better." He grinned. "Really?" "Really." I pulled him closer for another kiss and smiled at him. "Thank you." Damian laughed. "You're welcome."When I was with Damian, time seemed to stop. Other than the flirty ex-girlfriend, he was perfect. He was a gentleman when he had to be, but he could kiss like an expert. He was amazing and the closest to perfect that a human could ever be. So why was Jackson constantly on my mind?
Chapter 8: Trustworthiness
I spotted Jackson's Mazda and waved him over. "Hello Faith. How was school?" Jackson asked as he pulled out of the school parking lot. I could sense people taking out their cell phones to text their friends about me being in a car with someone who wasn't Damian. "School is school is school. Same thing every day," I shrugged. "Where are we going?" "We're going to Red Robin. I hope you don't mind, but Kyle insisted that he come too. He's meeting us there," Jackson said. "Does he know about....?" I whispered tentatively. "I told him that I met you at the club. We danced and talked. That's it," he answered as we pulled into the parking lot. We got out and walked into the restaurant. "Hey dude! Over here!" a boy with white blonde hair and baby blue eyes shouted. "Kyle, this is Faith. Faith, this is Kyle," Jackson introduced us.We made small talk while we perused the menu and ordered. "So Faith, who's a better kisser? Your boyfriend or your boytoy?" Kyle asked when we were eating. Jackson and I both choked. I swallowed. "Excuse me?" "I said, who's a better kisser?" Kyle repeated. Jackson kicked Kyle from under the table. "Don't play stupid. I saw you two at the table AND on the dance floor," Kyle said. "Don't worry, Trish doesn't know." "Shit," Jackson and I muttered under our breath. "Why else would I invite myself to this lunch? I wanted to see what kind of slut you picked up Saturday night," Kyle rudely said. "No offense to you though, Faith." I rolled my eyes at him. "Whatever." "You still haven't answered my question, Faith," he pointed out. "So?" "My boyfriend. And Jackson is NOT my boytoy," I said incredulously. "Dude, stuff it," Jackson said, throwing one of his French fries at Kyle. "Faith wouldn't go out with you." "Let her make that decision, not you," he stuck his tongue out. "I'm happy with just Damian," I half lied. "I don't need, nor do I want, a boytoy."Jackson paid for the food and took me home. It was only 4 and I already finished all of my homework. "Listen, I'm really sorry about Kyle. He means well most of the time," Jackson apologized for his friend's actions. "It's cool. I'm used to guys hitting on me," I shrugged. "I'll bet," he mumbled. "What was that?" I asked him to clarify. "Nothing. See you later!" He pulled out of my driveway and drove home.I walked into my house and Reese was with Anthony, again. "Hi Kay! Want to play Monopoly with me and my BOYFRIEND?" Reese asked gleefully. "I just came to get the keys to the Acura and congratulations," I smiled. I grabbed the keys and drove to Damian's practice. There was about an hour left of it. I snuck onto the field and hid in the bleacher's hoping to surprise him. When I heard his coach's whistle indicating that practice was over. Damian and his team came toward me and I was ready to jump out, but Kathleen popped out of nowhere. "Great job, Damian!" she said in a perky voice. "Uh, thanks. I need to go change, I'm all sweaty." "But you're extra hot when you're all sweaty," Kathleen flirted. "Especially when you condition before going into the locker room." Kathleen put her arms around his neck. "Kathleen, stop it," Damian warned her. "Faith's not here. What's the problem?" she said, biting his ear. "Kathleen, NO! Faith's my girlfriend now, not you. So stop it," Damian said forcefully. "But she's not here, I am. I know you have a weakness for long legs." Kathleen said as she slowly lifted her leg in the air. "My legs are really toned from being head cheerleader. Feel." She grabbed his hand and ran it up and down her leg. "Kathleen, I don't want you," he said. "Yes you do," she purred. I couldn't stand it anymore. "Kathleen, get away from my boyfriend!" I yelled as I jumped down to where they were. "He's mine, not yours. So fuck off." I shoved her aside and put my arm around Damian's waist protectively and he put his arm around me. "Faith, I'm so sorry," Damian apologized. "It's fine, I know you didn't do anything. That skank did," I spat in Kathleen's direction. She scoffed. "Whatever. I don't know why I bother. I'm late meeting Alexander anyways." She sauntered off in the opposite direction. I hugged Damian with all my strength and he lifted me in the air. "I'm so sorry that I didn't trust you now," I said into his shoulder. "Faith, it's fine. I forgive you. I fully trust you, too," he said in response. I hugged him one more time and told him I'd meet him under the tree in the front of the school while he changed. I leaned against the tree trunk and sighed. Damian was absolutely positively perfect! I can't believe that I even doubted my feelings for him. He resisted Kathleen even though they were supposedly alone. He was a trustworthy boyfriend and that was a fact. Damian came out of the locker room in shorts, his signature Lost t-shirt, and black Vans. "What do you want to do, babe?" he asked when he got to the tree. "Did you finish your homework?" I asked. "No, I have an AP Euro reading assignment, Calc AB worksheet, a book report due next week about Edgar Allen Poe for AP Lit, AP French essay about the Eiffel Tower due Friday, and an AT Bio lab write up," he said. "Damn," I cursed. "I guess I'll just go home then. Call me when you finish your homework." "Sure. Bye Faith."We hugged and I walked to my car and got in. I didn't feel like watching Reese and Anthony play together. I decided to drive to the mall and see how Sanford was. Hopefully this time, Sanford wouldn't make me cry. I walked into Beachworks and saw Sanford sitting on the counter, reading a catalog. "Hey stranger," I greeted. He looked up from the catalog and smiled. "Hey you!" "So, how did things go with Grace during lunch?" I asked. "We're still together. I told her that she needs to learn how to trust me because I trust her. Then we made our for the rest of lunch," he grinned. "Oh, well, that's...awesome," I managed to choke out. "You're not jealous are you?" Sanford questioned. I scoffed. "As if! Damian is probably a way better kisser than you." "Care to find out?" He inched closer to me. I could feel his breath on my face. "No thank you," I managed to say. God, Sanford was so gorgeous! It sucked that Grace knew what she knew! Why oh why did I have to slip up?! Sanford's mouth was barely a centimeter away from mine. My eyes were focused on his lips. He stopped moving forward and smiled. "See, you're still into me," he sighed. "No I'm not. I'm into Damian," I scoffed.Sanford kissed me, keeping his hands to himself. It felt so right. I grabbed at his shirt and he pulled away. "I told you," he grinned. "Whatever," I mumbled. "Shut up." "I'm not going to tell, don't worry. Knowing I still have a chance with you keeps me alive," he winked. "Sanford, that's the thing. You DON'T have a chance with me. Not until you have dirt on Grace that I can blackmail her with," I said. He kissed the back of my hand. "Done." I laughed. "Well, I'm outta here. I just wanted to see if you and Grace worked things out," I said. "Don't you mean you came to see whether we broke up or not?" he asked. "Maybe." I winked at him and walked out of Beachworks.I HAD to stop doing that. Openly flirting with Jackson and Sanford. I even kissed both of them. I hated to admit it, but Sanford was a much better kisser than Damian and Jackson combined. I felt heat with both of them, but it was so different with Sanford. I felt woozy after I kissed Damian and lightheaded after I kissed Jackson, but I felt so energized when I kissed Sanford. It was just this sense of belonging. I felt like I belonged with him, not Damian or Jackson. Damn Grace...if only she didn't figure anything out. I could be with Sanford instead of Damian. Sanford made me feel like a goddess whenever we were together. Fuck. Shit. Crap. Why was I thinking of Sanford?! I should be thinking of Damian. Sweet Jackson...I mean Damian. Awww SHIT...this could get REALLY ugly...
Chapter 9: Cheater
It was the middle of October, which meant that Homecoming was right around the corner. The last two weeks went by fast. Unfortunately, there was no word from Sanford or Jackson. Jackson's excuse was that he wanted to make things better with Trish. Sanford, though, had no excuse. He'd just avoid me all the time, waiting in the car when he picked up Anthony. He was so MIA in my life. I couldn't help but think that there was something wrong with me. Grace was a different story. She was constantly yammering my ear off. Always telling me every single detail about when she was with Sanford. It was so disturbing when she described their make-out sessions. Way too much information! But Homecoming was this Saturday, so I was free the whole week. "Hey baby," Damian greeted me when I walked to my locker Monday morning. "Hey Damian. Ready for the Homecoming game?" I asked. "You know it. Our team is STACKED thanks to summer training," he grinned. "Are YOU ready to be crowned queen?"I blushed. According to Klarissa, I was a shoe-in for Homecoming queen and Damian was for king. "Of course my king, but I'm not so sure that I'll get the crown." I bit my lip. "Faith, don't worry about it. Klarissa said you were for sure queen. You're winning in the pre-polls," he assured me. "People are stupid if they don't vote for you." "But Grace and Kathleen are running too!" I whined. Damian stroked my cheek. "Everyone likes you better. You're the most popular girl in school indefinitely." "You always know the right things to say," I smiled and kissed his cheek. I walked to chemistry and bumped into Sanford. He looked like he got a little taller and his hair was longer. "Well, this hasn't happened for a while." he nervously chuckled. I smiled uneasily. "Yeah, I guess. How've you been?" He crossed his arms over his chest. "Things are good. Are you ready for Homecoming this weekend?" "Yeah. Can you come to my house after school please?" I asked. He looked around uneasily. "Uhh...sure, but why?" "Because I miss you," I whispered softly. "Oh. I miss you, too. I'll definitely be there," he smiled brightly. He walked away and I walked into the classroom. Sanford was so distant nowadays. Maybe if he came to my house, I would find out why. "Hey Faith! Ready for Homecoming this weekend?" Klarissa asked when I sat down. "You totally must be. I mean, you're so going to be queen." "Hello Klarissa. yeah, I'm really excited and nervous at the same time. I really doubt that I'll be queen. I've only been here for like, a month or so." I bit my lip again. "Faith, you will totally be queen. Grace's popularity has been dying and Kathleen's has been, too," Aimee informed me. "Why though?" I asked. "Grace's popularity because she has a boyfriend and Kathleen because she's acting like a slut," Klarissa said bluntly. "Well, why am I the popular one? I have a boyfriend, too," I asked, confused "When Grace has a boyfriend, she is cut off from the rest of the world. If you asked her what trends were in right now, she wouldn't know. You on the other hand, mingle. You keep in touch with everyone. You and Damian mesh well," Aimee smiled. I sighed. "No wonder Grace doesn't have any guys surrounding her anymore."Class started and Klarissa and Aimee dispersed. We had a test today and I crammed all last night. French and English were chill. We watched a movie spoken in French and had to translate at least one conversation in each scene. For English, we did bookwork with a partner. Break was spent conversing with my friends from drama club. The whole time Damian kept me as close as possible. He was always so overprotective of me when there were other guys around. It was even worse if they showed any interest in me, which most guys did. He would kiss me at random times during the conversation. "I'm so going to vote for you for king and queen," a girl named Molly gushed.A round of "yeah"s and "same"s were said among the group. "You guys are so sweet! But, I know I', not going to win," I said sheepishly. "You're gonna win. you're hot" Sawyer said. Damian glared at him. "I mean, you already look like a queen." "All you need is a crown," Molly's friend, Jackie, smiled. "Thanks for your support guys, really. See you later!" I called as Damian and I left five minutes before the bell. He dragged me into a deserted classroom and grinned. "Alone at last," he said huskily. He buried his face in my shoulder and started kissing my neck. "God, you look hot in that dress."Damian was referring to my lavender ruched halter jersey dress from H&M. I kissed the tip of his nose. "You look hot in ANYTHING, babe." He attacked my lips hungrily, yet cautiously. The bell rang and we jumped apart. "See you at lunch, Faith," he kissed my forehead and I walked out of the room. I blissfully walked into algebra II and took notes silently. The same thing happened in AP World. My day was going superbly. Guaranteed queen, hot make-out session with Damian, little to no homework, and Sanford was coming to my house afterschool. i walked all smiles to my locker, grabbed my lunch, and met Damian at the table. Today we were eating with the soccer team, which meant we were eating with Kathleen. "Hey baby," Damian greeted me as I say next to him. Across from me was Kathleen, who was nibbling on Alexander's ear, but playing footsie with Brett. "Hi guys! So, how's everyone?" I asked, biting into an apple my dad packed for me. "Psyched about Homecoming," Peter, the sweeper, grinned."My date is the second hottest girl in school, hands down." "Second?" I asked. "Who's first?"The whole table looked at me incredulously with the "How stupid is she?" look on their faces. "You, Faith. It's obvious," Brett said, breaking the silence. "Baby, don't tell me you didn't that," Damian scoffed in disbelief. "Why else would you be the future Homecoming queen as a SOPHOMORE?" "Oh..." I said softly. "I thought it was because I was your girlfriend." "No, you're hot, popular, smart, friendly, upbeat. Who WOULDN'T love you?" Damian smiled. I could name a couple people....The rest of the table grunted and nodded in agreement. The remainder lunch was spent talking about the upcoming season. The only reason why I secretly enjoyed sitting with the guys this week was because all of the girls were shrieking about Homecoming. Guys could care less about what shade of pink blush or what brand of mascara you wear. The truth is, they all just want to rip off your dress with their teeth. Sure, they'll 'oooh' and 'aaah' at your beauty when they see you, but that'll last for about a minute. After school, I rushed to my locker, kissed Damian goodbye, and tan home. I was wearing espadrilles, so I guess you really couldn't call it running. By the time I got home, I was sweating and panting. I kicked off my shoes and raced upstairs. I quickly changed into terry cloth shorts and a white tank top. I was brushing the knots out of my hair when the doorbell rang. I took the stairs two at a time and opened the door. Standing there was an uneasy looking Sanford. "So, what's up?" he asked as if he hadn't avoided me for the last month or so. I led him inside. "Why have you been avoiding me for the past month?" He looked at his hands intently. "Because..." "Because what?" I asked. He sighed. "Just forget it. I don't know why I agreed to come here in the first place."He stood up, but I shoved him back onto the couch. He looked up at me with wide eyes and a shocked expression. I hovered over him. "Sanford, tell me." "It's because...I'm trying not to love you..." He said softly, trying to avoid my gaze. "I thought that if I stayed away from you, it wouldn't hurt as much. "You...love me?" I choked out. He nodded his head. "Yeah. Faith, I love you." I shook my head. "That's not right. You don't love me." "Faith, I know what I feel. I know that I love you and not Grace. I thought time away from you would change that, but it doesn't," Sanford said as he finally looked into my eyes. "Sanford, I can't love you. I'm with Damian and you're with Grace. That's the way it's supposed to be. I can't love you Sanford," I told him. Sanford pushed me aside gently. "Faith, you keep saying that you CAN'T love me, but you haven't said that you DON'T love me. Faith, look at me," he cupped my chin in his hand. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't love me and we can just move on with our lives, but do not make me leave here without the straight truth." My eyes started welling up. "Sanford, I can't say that because it's not true. I do love you." Sanford smiled down at me. "Faith, do you realize what you just said?" I wiped the tears from my eyes and smiled weakly. "Yes I do. I love you, Sanford."He hugged me tightly and I warmed up inside. He kissed me suddenly. Nothing like Jackson or Damian. Kissing Sanford was an effortless task. It was like we never knew when to stop. With Damian and Jackson, I always pulled away after their tongues touched mine for exactly 60 seconds. Yes, I actually counted. But with Sanford, I never wanted to stop. I couldn't count the seconds because my head was clouded with thoughts of Sanford. He was the one to stop us. "Faith, if you love me, you won't tell Grace," he pleaded. "Sanford, if YOU love ME, you won't tell Damian," I parroted. He laughed. "You're so cute. Deal." I smiled. "So, what are we right now?" "We are friend, but I want to be your boyfriend." he sighed. "Faith, will you be my girlfriend once Homecoming ends?" I punched him lightly. "You idiot, that's in five days!" "Fine...how about in a week?" he tried. "How about three days after I break up with Damian?" I offered. "Well, when's that going to be?" he asked eagerly. "You'll know, trust me," I smiled. "But in the meantime, I need you to cheat on Grace or make her mad. Make sure SHE breaks up with YOU, not that other way around," I instructed. "Why?" he asked, confused. "Because if you break up with Grace, then she'll be suspicious when I break up with Damian." I explained. "But until then, we can't be seen together. Have fun at Homecoming Sanford." I kissed his cheek and he left. Hopefully, my plan would work and Sanford and I could be together.
Chapter 10: Truth or Lies? Homecoming was less than twelve hours away. Klarissa and Aimee insisted that we do eveverything together. We called Grace and invited her to come with us, but she said that she was getting ready with her sister. I was the driver for the day, apparently. Our first stop was Lumie. We had a hair and nail appointment for 9 o'clock. The theme for this year's Homecoming was "Dirty 30's" so I had them curl my hair in ringlets and then clip them up. I was wearing a black 30's bombshell dress, so I got black tips. Klarissa's hair was in a pin curl and she was wearing a powder blue Harlow dress. Aimee on the other hand just straightened her hair and wore a pink star sheer dress. An hour later we were on our way to Sephora completely clad in our Homecoming attire. "Faith, are those REAL Gucci Jacqueline heels?!" Aimee gasped when she noticed what I was wearing. "Uh-huh," I answered. "Bitch! I've always wanted Gucci heels," Aimee whined. "But the waiting lists are so damn long! You're so lucky!" "If you're looking for Gucci heels, I could get you some. I know this great shoe store in New Lain that not that many people know about. I could hook you up," I offered. "OHMYGOD! That would be awesome, Faith!" Aimee squealed. We walked into Sephora and the place was utter chaos. So many girls in one room, arms flailing, trying to grab makeup that they think would make them look fabulous tonight. Lucky for us, we had an appointment in the back room with the manager. "Faith! Great to see you again! How's your mom?" Toni, my mom's new best friend, greeted me when we got to the back. "Are these the friends you were talking about?" "Mom is great, her...uh...newest venture is going really great," I winked. "These are my friends Klarissa and Aimee, and we're ready for your help, Toni." "Aren't you precious? Your mom was right, you are an angel," Toni smiled. "Well, all three of you have a seat and relax. Now, all the products we're using on you are sweat and waterproof. You can only take it off with the makeup remover that I'll supply you with." Forty-five minutes later, we were red-carpet-ready. We hit the food court and ate Panda Express. While we were eating, I thought I saw a familiar white blonde head walk into a tux rental place. I shook my head and convinced myself that I was seeing things. "So, Yogurtland, Starbucks, or Dolphin Bay?" I asked as we were clearing out trays. "Dolphin Bay," we said in unison.We all piled into the Acura and I drove to Dolphin Bay. It was 1:30 P.M. already. We ordered milk tea bobas with small tapioca and gossiped. "So, I heard that there's going to be a new student. It's just a rumor that I heard while I was walking to my locker yesterday, but it could be true," Klarissa said. Aimee groaned. "Ohmygod, I don't think I can stand another new student. No offense Faith, but your unexpected arrival really caused Heil High to become unbalanced. We JUST got our rhythm back and they want to throw another life into the mix?!" "Well, I wouldn't mind if that certain student was a hot GUY. All of the super hot guys at our school are taken and you're thought of as a whore if you steal a guy...." Klarissa sighed. "Speaking of which, I heard that Sanford Michaels cheated on Grace and she got PISSED!" Aimee said. "Seriously?!" I asked in fake disbelief. I smiled to myself, glad that Sanford had already started working on the get-Grace-to-dump-him plan. "Yeah. He was making out with some freshman during lunch Thursday. They were in Sanford's car and Grace went ballistic! She shoved the girl off of him and started shrieking and slapped him," Aimee said. "Damn...that's so stupid. She should dump him like, now," I said, trying to sound as innocent and empathetic as possible. Hopefully, Sanford would find a way to get Grace to break up with him. If he couldn't, then love would have to wait. "So, anyways, about tonight. Which earrings should I wear? Diamond studs or chandelier?" Klarissa asked. "Neither. I have these gorgeous pearl earrings that would look incredible on you," I said. "I also have a necklace to match them." "Really? That would be totally awesome!" Klarissa squealed. "Yeah. C'mon. I'll show you something that's going to amaze you!" Minutes later, I was bringing them to my room. I opened my bedroom door. "Tad-da!" I beamed. "Uh...we've seen your room before," Klarissa pointed out, confused. "But, you haven't seen my closet."I flung my double doors open and let them stare in awe and gape. "OH.MY.GOD! What the hell?! Are you serious? This is your closet?!" Aimee exclaimed. "Yup. If you ever need something, I have it. Seriously," I bragged.Klarissa and Aimee ran eagerly into my closet. They touched everything in eyesight. It took them until 2 o'clock to get over the shock. "Faith, I'm in love with your closet! Can I borrow these earrings for tonight?" Aimee asked hopefully. She was caressing my light rose Swarovski chandelier earrings. "Go ahead. I have this beautiful white gold necklace that would go great with it. It has these light rose clusters that totally match those earrings." I rummaged through my jewelry boxes and handed it to her. "Here you go. Pretty, huh?" "Faith, thank you so so so much! I totally appreciate this!" Aimee exclaimed. "Oh! Klarissa, here are the earrings I was talking about. Fresh water pearls. Oh, and a pink pearl necklace." I handed her the accessories and smiled. "You are totally awesome! I'm so glad Damian took that dare!" Klarissa smiled as she admired herself in the mirror. "Holy crap...you did NOT just hear me say that...." "Wait, WHAT?!" I asked. "Klarissa, you better tell me right now. "Klarissa, just tell her. She deserves to know," Aimee shrugged. "Kathleen and a bunch of other guys from the football team dared Damian to ask you to be his girlfriend because you were new and they thought that messing with you would be fun. Who knew he would end up really liking you," Klarissa explained. "That BASTARD!" I growled. "I thought that he really liked me!" "I'm sorry....I don't think you were supposed to find out this way..." Klarissa gasped. "Damian's going to kill me! Please don't tell him I told you." "Can you get home by yourselves? I need to do some stuff," I said abruptly, trying to avoid their gazes. "Alone." "Yeah. See you tonight, babe," Aimee said.They walked out of my room and I grabbed my phone and quickly dialed Vanessa's number. "Hi baby! Getting ready for Homecoming?" she asked cheerfully. "Vanessa, can you, Kat, and Charlie meet me at Twilight Park?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly. "Sure thing, babe," Vanessa agreed. "Hey, also, bring Blake if you can. Tell him to rent a tux and meet you there. See you soon." I hung up the phone. This was why I love my best friends. They will drop everything if I ask them to and I'd do the same for them, no questions asked. If Damian thought I was still his girlfriend after this little escapade, he was wrong. I grabbed my purse and overcoat then ran outside. I left a voicemail message for Damian, telling him that something came up and that he should go to the dance without me. I jumped into the Acura and raced to New Lain. There was no traffic at all so I got there around 3:45. I saw the four of them sitting on a park bench, eating sno-cones. "Whoa, Kay. You look hot!" Blake said, looking me up and down. I blushed like crazy. "Thanks Blake." "So, why the sudden urge to see us on Homecoming night?"I told the four of them the whole story from start to end. By the end of my story, all of their faces looked shocked. "So, he bought you a gorgeous diamond ring and it was all because of a DARE?!" Charlie asked in disbelief. "Apparently, yeah. I'm just some joke to him. That's all I ever will be, is a JOKE," I sobbed. "Baby, you're not a joke. Damian's just an asshole. Calm down, baby. It'll be alright," Kat soothed. "Sorry, but, what does Blake have to do with this?" Vanessa asked. I smiled. "Blake, will you go to Homecoming with me?" "Sure. I'm not doing anything else tonight, but why me and not your loser ex-boyfriend?" "Because he's my loser ex-boyfriend, that's why. Plus, you're really sweet. At least, that's what I've I heard," I admitted. "Well, we can get into details about this on the way to Homecoming. I was raised to never be late and the dance starts in less than three hours. Let's get a move on Faith. Charlie, can you take my car home?" Blake shouted as we started running. "Thanks!"I got into the driver's seat and inspected my hair in the rearview mirror. Luckily, the hairspray was still working. Blake got in the car and I sped out of the parking lot. We got stuck in traffic on the 195, but other than that it was smooth sailing. I stopped by Chevron to fill up my car because it was 3/4 empty from all of the driving I did. While I was filling up, Blake went into the restroom and changed into the black suit he rented. I got home at around seven and rushed upstairs. I sprayed my hair all over again and Blake gelled his hair back. I let him borrow my dad's hat and shoes. The house was deserted because they were out eating dinner with the Michaels. "Don't talk to anybody. Just be silent and don't answer any questions. When Damian comes up, just lead me past him to the dance floor and start dancing, okay?" I told Blake when we arrived at the door to the gym. "Sure thing, Kay," he smiled genuinely. "I'm just happy to help."We walked in hand in hand and, sure enough, Damian was making his way toward us. "I thought you said something came up?" He kissed my forehead and I winced. "Who's this?"I glared at him and Blake led me to the dance floor as promised. The Veronicas "Untouched" was playing and started dancing. "So, that's Damian?" Blake asked over the chorus. "Yup. That's my "man". And here he comes again..." I groaned.Damian came up to me with a puzzled look on his face. "Faith, can I talk to you outside?" he asked hopefully. I shrugged. "Sorry. Can't. I'm dancing with my date." "But I'M your date, not this prettyboy," he spat. "Dude, chill," Blake said in a surfer dude tone. "Dude, shut the fuck up," Damian said. He started sizing Blake up. "Back. off." Blake warned.Damian punched Blake's jaw. Blake shoved Damian on the floor. Damian got up and swung at Blake's head, but Blake dodged it. "Both of you stop it!" I intervened. "C'mon Blake, let's go get some punch."I grabbed Blake's hand and walked past Damian who looked pissed as hell. We got some punch and talked about life in New Lain. He updated me on the latest news. There was a scandal involving the new baseball coach and Alice Taylor. Alice and the coach were caught fondling in the dugout. One of the guys on the team left their glove and caught them mid-kiss. "Whoa! Alice?! The quiet girl who always keeps to herself?" I gasped. "Yeah. Crazy, huh?" he said. Suddenly the song "Your Guardian Angel" started playing and I squealed. "Blake, you HAVE to dance with me! This is my favorite song!"I pulled Blake to the dance floor and we started swaying. All of a sudden, Damian grabbed me by the waist and carried me over his shoulder outside. He set me down and I slapped him. "What the hell?!" I screeched. "I could ask you the same question! How could you bring another guy to Homecoming when we're together?! Who is he?! Do you even know him?!" Damian's voice boomed. "BECAUSE I'M NO LONGER YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" I roared. "What? Are you...breaking up with me? But why?" he asked. "Because you asked me out on a dare!" I yelled in his face. "Who told you?" he asked calmly. "SOOO not the point, Damian! Our whole relationship was based on a lie," I scoffed. "But our relationship was the real deal, Faith! Everything I've ever said to you was the truth," he said in defense. "Maybe. But it was the truth based on a lie, and I can't live with that." I turned on my heel and walked back inside and spotted Blake coming out of the restroom. "You have one crazy boyfriend," Blake said pointedly. "What boyfriend?" I smiled. "I don't have one." "You, Faith Kay Anderson, are a pretty cool girl."The dance droned on without a disturbance. Blake and I just kept to ourselves, despite all of the questions, stares, and whispering. Halfway through the night, Klarissa went up onto the stage and cleared her throat, trying to gather everyone's attention. "Are you guys having fun?!" she yelled into the mic. "Yeah!" the crowd responded. "Well the night is halfway over and the ballots have been counted! It is now tie to announce your Homecoming king and queen!" Klarissa squealed delightfully. "Your Homecoming king is...my brother, Damian Adams!"The crowed erupted in cheers and applause. Damian approached the stage with a fake smile on his face. An ASB member placed a crown on his head. He lifted his arms and bowed. "Now, for your queen," Klarissa said. "Your queen is...Faith Anderson! Come up here girl!"This time, the audience bursted into chaos. Everyone was cheering for me. I got up on the stage, grinning, and allowed Damian to place the crown on my head. Before putting it on my head he whispered, "Faith, I love you and I'm sorry I'm an ass." He then grabbed the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen. This evening I was outed by someone in this room, but who it was is irrelevant, and I upset someone. I screwed up big time, and I just want to let her know that I love her and I'll do anything to get her back." "Faith! No, don't take him back!" a familiar voice shouted from the cluster of people in front of us.It couldn't be..... Jackson climbed onto the stage. "Faith, don't take him back. I'm the one you want. I've been there for you always. You can count on me. I know what I want, and it's you. I broke up with Trish this morning. You're the only girl for me Faith." "Fuck off man, this is my apology," Damian said sternly. "Faith, don't pick either of them!" I heard Sanford's voice shout.What the hell was happening?! Had Sanford lost his mind?! Sanford got on stage and pushed Damian and Jackson aside."Faith, I know we talked about this earlier this week, but I can't stand the thought of you with either of these assholes. Faith, I love you and I know you love me. I don't care who knows, just...be with me Faith, please." "Faith, I know I screwed up big time, but these two jackasses are willing to dump their girlfriends for you. What makes you think they won't do the same thing to you?" Damian said. "So, Faith. It's your decision. Pick."I could feel all eyes on me. My palms were staring to sweat and I could feel my face getting hot. Holy fucking crap. Damian was a liar, Jackson dumped his girlfriend just for me but I know absolutely nothing about him, and Sanford's current girlfriend could destroy my life for the second time, but he was the best thing to ever happen in my life. "I pick..."
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