The Open Notebook

Chapter 7: Stuck in the Middle

Cook was sitting on the marble floor in front of the massive brick fireplace, tending the flames as they danced in the hearth. I walked over, trying to act as naturally as possible, knowing fully well that this conversation could go south very quickly. Cook and I had built a lot of trust with each other, he told me things that he didn’t tell anyone else. He was comfortable being vulnerable with me and I didn’t want him to think that I was violating his trust.

On second thought, maybe delving into a touchy subject with Cook near an open flame with a bunch of sharp objects around wasn’t the best idea. I noticed that no one was out back on the dock and decided it would be a better place for us to talk.

“Hey, Cook,” I said nonchalantly. “Want to keep me company on the dock for a bit?”

“Anything for you, Princess.” He said turning from the fire, grabbing a jacket and following me outside.

We walked in awkward silence the whole stroll to the dock. I was thankful that it wasn’t raining today, I knew it rained a lot here, but I wasn’t expecting nearly this much. When we reached the dock, we stood at the edge, looking out into the distance.

“So, I know you’re not pregnant, because we never had sex, so what’s so serious that you had to bring me outside to talk about?” He joked, finally breaking the silence.

“What? Why would you think that I needed to talk about something serious? Can’t I just spend some time with my friend?” I found myself tripping over my words. I was never very good at confrontation, and this time definitely wasn’t going to be easy.

“Zye, you’re cute… and completely transparent. Are you going to tell me what’s going on? Or am I going to have to throw you in the lake?” He teased, moving closer to me.

I sighed and turned to face him. “So, Jack and I were talking on the ride up…”

Cook cursed under his breath and crossed his arms, turning ever so slightly away from me. “I can already tell that I’m not going to like where this is going…”

“Just hear me out, Cook. Please?”

He sighed. I took it as a sign to continue.

“So, Jack and I were talking, and I asked him about Eden… He seems really nice to me and I couldn’t picture him stealing anyone’s girlfriend…”

“Zye, I love you, but this doesn’t concern you. If you want to be friends with Jack, then that’s up to you, but leave me out of it.” Cook snapped, turning to leave.

“Cook, wait!” I reached out to grab his arm instinctively. “Please, I just want to make everything right… can we just talk about this?”

“There’s nothin’ to talk about! I can’t believe that Jack would send you to do his dirty work, stupid wank.”

“I didn’t send her, Cook, but she’s right, we do need to talk.” We heard from behind us. I hadn’t even heard Jack follow us, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t relieved to see him.

“I don’t want to talk to you, Jack. And to be honest, I don’t really want to talk to you much either right now, Zye.” Cook spat, snatching his arm from my grip.

“Don’t talk to her like that, she’s just trying to help.” Jack snapped, shoving Cook in his chest.

Cook stumbled for a split second. I could see his eyes glowing red.

“Cook, just breathe.” I said, timidly.

But it was too late. Cook was already deep in a rage. I had heard of what happened when Cook “whet off the rails”, but I had been fortunate enough to not have seen it myself… until now. Cook lunged at Jack with animal force, knocking him off of the dock and into the lake. Before I knew what was happening the two were thrashing in the water trying to land blows on each other. I managed to unfreeze myself, attempting and failing to make them stop.

“Stop! You’re going to hurt each other!” I screamed.

“He should have thought of that before he slept with my girlfriend!” Cook said, head-butting Jack at the bridge of the nose.

“I told you, I didn’t touch her!” Jack yelled, managing to throw Cook off of him.

The two were now circling each other like two animals on National Geographic. I was tripping over myself, struggling not to fall off the dock myself. Jack’s face was bloody and badly beaten: his left eye was swollen; his lip was going to need stitches. His nose was most definitely broken. He was in rough shape. Cook, however, barely had a scratch on him.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t sleep with her Cook! I wouldn’t do that to you!”

“Bollocks!”

“You were my best friend, like another brother to me! Why would I throw all of that away for a girl?!”

“I don’t fuckin’ know!” Cook yelled, diving at Jack again. Jack dodge, Cook missing him by a hair. Jack’s fist caught Cook in the jaw. Cook sputtered and spat out blood.

“James fucking Cook. You are the most stubborn man I’ve ever met.” Jack chuckled, wiping the blood from his nose.

To my surprise, Cook softened.

“Eden wouldn’t have slept with you,” Cook said, in a completely different tone. “Look at you, you’re a pansy! You can’t even throw a proper punch!”

The two erupted into boisterous laughter.

“Want to get dried off and have a drink?” Cook asked, extending a hand to Jack.

Jack took it, clapping Cook on the back and the two began to pull themselves out of the lake and onto the grass. They began to laugh as if nothing had happened.

“So that’s it then?!” I yelled, more than mildly annoyed with the two of them.

“What did you expect Princess?”

“Did you want us to talk it out and sing Kumbaya?”

“I was going to say braid each other’s hair!” Jack and Cook high fived and headed back to the cabin.

To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, but I was just glad to see them speaking to each other again. That was when I realized that I was standing alone, in the dark on a dock in the wilderness. I quickly ran back to the house, calling after the boys as I went.

---

Everyone slowly made their way into the living room as the evening progressed. We were all strewn about here and there, some chatting, some on their phones, others simply enjoying the warmth of the fire. Behind me, I heard the front door open and then slam shut.

“Well, this is fine and dandy and all, but I was told this was a party.” I turned to see my cousin, standing in the entryway wearing a full lace bodysuit, a bold red lipstick and thigh-high suede boots. I looked down at my sweatpants and old t-shirt, feeling suddenly self-conscious.

“Well, I guess, that’s our cue!” Finn said jumping off of the couch. “Jack? Speakers! Fredds, sound system!”

As if on cue, everyone began to run around, most of the guys started setting up sounds systems and lighting, mixing drinks and hiding breakables. All of the girls took off upstairs to primp and pull themselves into versions of ourselves we wouldn’t mind having captured on camera.

I came back downstairs about an hour later to see that the main floor had been turned into a nightclub. There was blaring music, strobe lights, Cook at the DJ helm. I had in my hand the bag of leftover skittles. I tossed it nonchalantly to Finn and headed towards Maxxie at the “bar”.

“My, my. You clean up pretty well cuz.” She said eyeing me from head to toe. I did a quick playful shimmy to show off my black mini dress à la Posh Spice. I decided to skip the heels tonight and donned my cosiest pair of black flats. I’d just be sure that any pictures of me were of the ankle up.

Maxxie handed me a drink that consisted of 90% rum, 5% coke and 5% regret. I downed it much too quickly. I saw Finn’s hand materialize beside me holding an assortment of skittles. I closed my eyes, grabbed one, and popped it into my mouth. I laughed grabbing Maxxie’s hand and dragging her onto what had become the makeshift dance floor. I could feel the now familiar buzz of the skittle in the back of my brain. I began to shimmy and flail my arms with reckless abandon, enjoying every crescendo and bass drop in the music.

Soon everyone was in the middle of the living room, dancing together in a mosh pit of bodies, become one with each other through the music. For what felt like hours we stayed there, laughing, dancing and enjoying each other’s company. A faint rumbling in my stomach reminded me that I hadn’t eaten anything since I left my house, so I slipped out of the crowd and into the kitchen.

There in the dim light of the kitchen stood Freddie, chugging a bottle of what I hoped was water. I hesitated, then proceeded to walk into the kitchen and over to the snack cupboard. We stayed there in silence, as I rummaged around in the dark, grabbing what felt like a bag of chips.

“Care to share?” He asked as I retrieved the bag.

I opened the bag, extending it towards him. He took a few then returned the bag to me. I began to leave with it, my hand already digging into its contents.

“What did I do that was so horrible that you can’t even bring yourself to eat in the same room as me?” Freddie teased.

I froze.

“Zye,” I felt his hand on my shoulder, his voice now more sincere. “I have been racking my brain for the past few weeks trying to figure out what I did to offend you so much that you won’t even look me in the eye anymore.”

I turned to face him. “You really don’t know, do you?”

“No! I have no idea! I thought it was because I made the mistake of choosing Effie over you – which might I emphasize was a mistake – but I broke up with her that same night and you still won’t look at me. Did I come on too strong that night we were dancing? Did I misread a signal of some kind? Please, just tell me so I can fix this.”

He raised a hand and rested it on my cheek. To my surprise, no alarms rang out through me, no waves of repulsion. I felt myself being drawn to him, to his sincerity. I cautiously rested my hand over his, taking a step closer to him. He pulled me into his chest and I closed my eyes, breathing him in. I felt so safe there in the kitchen, enveloped in his arms. I found myself hugging him back, turning my head so that I could hear his heartbeat. Whether it was the drugs or a genuine connection, whatever I felt in this moment with Freddie was just as magnetic as that night in the club. I felt as if reality was melting away and all that remained was Freddie and me. His thumb gently stroked the small of my back and I felt a shiver run through my spine.

And then as if on cue, Maxxie’s tear-streaked face floated into my conscious and brought me back out of the clouds. I could see her before me telling me about what he had done to her. It didn’t make any sense to me, how could someone so gentle do something so awful? I felt myself become rigid against him. I began to push away.

“No, please. Don’t do this Zye.” He held on tighter.

“Freddie, please don’t make this any harder for me.”

“Zye, please…” His voice caught in his throat.

“No! You must be some sort of grade A psychopath if you think that I’d ever even consider being with you after what you did to Maxxie!” I snarled at him. I turned to leave the kitchen, glancing back over my shoulder to see Freddie leaning against the counter. His face was in his hands, his breathing was rapid and shallow. I forced back tears as I ran out of the house and onto the back deck.

Maxxie was out behind me in an instant with a blanket for me to wrap myself in.

“What did he do to you Zye?” She asked tenderly, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

“Nothing,” I said wiping away tears. I didn’t want to make this situation any worse than it already was.

“I saw you leave the kitchen and then Freddie. I thought I told you to stay away from him. Did he hurt you too?” She looked deeply concerned. “If he did, you can tell me. We can get you out of here. I have my car.”

“No, honestly Maxxie, I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”

“Did he try to pressure you into anything?”

“No!”

“Then what happened?”

“He…he just hugged me. That was all.”

“Ugh, that sicko! He couldn’t be satisfied with just me, so now he’s trying to groom you or something. Disgusting!”

“I don’t think it was like that Maxx. He seemed genuinely confused as to why I wouldn’t be anywhere near him.”

“He’s playing you Zye. He knows that you’re kind and a bit naïve so he’s preying on your weaknesses.”

“First of all,” I began turning to face her. “Since when is kindness a weakness? Secondly – ”

“It’s like you don’t even understand how the world works!” Maxxie interrupted me. “He’s a sexual predator!”

Maxxie pulled a cigarette from one of her boots and struggled to find her lighter in the other. I had only known Maxxie to smoke in three situations in her life: when she was drinking heavily, when she was trying to impress a boy, or when she was stressed about keeping a secret...

From about 10 feet away, I saw a lighter flicker. Effie stepped into the glow of the light coming from the living room. I hadn’t even known she was there before. She took a long drag from her cigarette, narrowing her eyes and offering the lighter to Maxxie. Maxxie shivered, accepting the lighter from her and lighting her own cigarette.

Chapter 6: Hit the Road Jack

Cook and I kept hooking up for a few weeks after the night we all went out, many hot and heavy make-out sessions but never going all the way. But things cooled down pretty quickly and we realized that though we had a great time together, we didn’t want to pursue anything else romantic, we much preferred just enjoying each other’s company as friends. Sure, we had a connection. But I was me and he was… well… Cook. I would always be a bit of a princess, and he would always be brash and crude and abrasive and… well, Cook. He was a lot of fun, but not the kind of guy you introduced to your mom. Plus, he was Freddie’s best friend. And I couldn’t stand being around Freddie.

Seeing Freddie at school over the next few weeks was beyond uncomfortable.  At first, Freddie would try to talk to me in the hallways, to which I only ever responded with icy silence. I still couldn’t believe that I had started to fall for such a disgusting human being. It was probably just the drugs distorting my perception. Yet, I still found myself being drawn to him. What was wrong with me?

I was lost in my thoughts at the end of the school day, still in my own little world as I walked home. I barely said a word to my family that evening, I just went through the motions of dinner and homework before heading up to my room to read. What a way to spend a Friday evening.

About an hour after passing out with a book in my hands, I was awoken by the sound of my buzzing cellphone

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:30pm

Pack a bag, we’re going to the cabin for the weekend.

 I rubbed my eyes, attempting to orient myself. Afternoon naps always left me groggy.

 TO: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:31pm

What?

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:31pm

Jack and Finn’s cabin. Hurry. Jack will be at your place in 20.

 TO: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:32pm

Maxxie, I’m already in my “not leaving the house again” clothes. And what am I supposed to tell my parents?

 FR: Maxxieeeeeee

Friday 5:33pm

Not my problem. Stop being such a grandma. Figure something out. 17 minutes. See you soon.

 I tossed my phone down on my bed, put my bookmark back in Pride and Prejudice and found myself absentmindedly beginning to pack a weekend bag. I tossed in the essentials and even dug out the bag of skittles that were left over from the night we went clubbing. They may come in handy. I slunk downstairs to find my dad sitting in the living room, watching the news.  

“Hey, dad?”

“Yes pumpkin?”

“Maxxie and some of our friends are headed to a cabin for the weekend. Can I go?”

“Where is this cabin?” He asked, pulling himself away from a story of a skateboarding dog.

“Not sure, I’ll text you the address. Dad, they’re on their way here… I need an answer.”

“It’s getting late. How are you evening planning on getting there?”

“Jack is coming to pick me up.”

“That’s one of the twins, right?”

“Yes.”

“He seems respectable enough. Alright, have a good weekend. Say hi to Maxine for me. When will you be back?”

“Probably Sunday. Thanks, dad!” I said, placing a kiss on his cheek. I ran out of the living room before he could ask any more questions.

At 5:50pm, I saw Jack’s familiar SUV pull up outside of my house. I grabbed my backpack, camping gear and the bag of snacks I had thrown together and slipped out of the house. Jack sat in the driver’s seat, the back-seat empty. Jack hopped out to help me toss my stuff in the trunk.

“Where is everybody?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, I’m not kidnapping you. You’re just the first one on my pick-up list.” He said flashing a debonair smile.

“Where’re Finn and Maxxie?” I asked, climbing into the passenger seat.

“Maxxie is driving herself and Finn took our other car. We wouldn’t all fit in one car.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed to be alone with me.” Jack teased, starting the car.

I stuck my tongue out at him playfully.

“I’m trembling in my seat.” He teased.

I smiled back at him. The skin around his eyes crinkled when he laughed, and his green eyes glinted in the sunlight.

“What?” He asked, taking a few stray locks of my hair in between his fingers. 

“Nothing…” Still smiling, I turned to stare out of the window instead.

After a few moments of silence, I remembered what Cook had told me about Jack. I wasn’t sure when I was ever going to get him alone again, so I decided that this would be the best time to clear the air.

“I know what happened between you and Cook’s girlfriend, Jack…”

“What?” He took his eyes off the road for only a second, but his face flushed. “What are you talking about?”

“Cook told me,” I said, not taking my eyes off of him. I studied his response. I saw the muscles around his jaw tense and release. He let out a long exhale.

“Okay.” He signaled and pulled into a gas station parking lot.

He turned off the engine.

“I had been hoping to avoid having this conversation with you, but if it has to happen, I want to make sure to give you my full attention.”

“I’m listening.”

“Okay. Me, Finn, and Cook were really close. The three of us had been friends since primary school. Cook’s mum was and Finn and my piano teacher as a kid. We ended up spending more time playing with her son than practicing the piano. The three of us were inseparable. Then about two years ago, Cook met Eden and they started dating. I’d seen Cook with a lot of girls, but this was the first time I saw him do the whole ‘boyfriend’ thing. He dove in head first, like he would have given her his left kidney if she had asked him to. But we could all tell that she wasn’t as invested as he was. She was a lot like Effie - very free-spirited, rebellious - except Eden had a mean streak and a penchant for vodka and pills. She would use Cook for his money and then blame him for her shortcomings.” Jack looked over at me to make sure I was still following.

“Anyway, after two months or so they started fighting like cats and dogs. At first, it was just playful bickering, but by the 8-month mark, we all thought they may actually kill each other. We all told Cook to end it with her, for his own sanity. One day, Eden shows up at my apartment while Finn was at work. She was a mess, she had clearly been on a bender. I let her in and asked her what was wrong. She told me that she and Cook had gotten into their biggest fight yet and that it was over between them. She had been staying at his place at the time because she and her mum didn’t get on well, mostly because of Eden’s rage and the substance abuse. I invited her in to collect herself. She went into my room, said she needed a nap. I went into the kitchen to make her something to eat.” He paused and wiped his hands over his face. I could see him growing more anxious.

“Jack… what happened next?”

He looked at me, his eyes begging me not to make him go on. But I needed to know, I needed to hear it from him.

He exhaled. “When I went back into my room, Eden was lying on my bed… naked… I was in shock. I just stood there in the doorway holding a grilled cheese like a pansy. She slowly made her way over to me. I asked her what she was doing, and she backed me up against the doorframe. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to touch her… I knew I couldn’t. But then she undid my pants and began to pull them down… I… I…” He let his head fall into his hands.

“Did you sleep with her?” I interjected.

“No! Is that what Cook told you?!” He looked horrified by my accusation. “The only thing that happened is that she tried to give me head and I pushed her off! She was embarrassed so I tried to downplay the situation. I gave her a shirt to put on and went back to the kitchen. Eden was a bit messed up, you know? I didn’t want to set her off.  Anyway, I heard the buzzer ring, but before I could answer it, Eden ran to the door. I heard Cook explode and ran out to try to diffuse the situation, which of course only made it worse. He accused me of sleeping with her, which I adamantly denied. Eden didn’t say anything, she just stood in the corner of the hallway smirking like she had planned it all along. Ever since then, he’s wanted me dead. But I swear to you, I didn’t do anything with Eden. I wouldn’t do that. Especially not to Cook. He was like another brother to me. Zye, I swear to you. That’s what happened.”

 I searched his face for any sign that he may be lying, but everything he said seemed sincere. His eyes were wrought with grief, I had clearly hit a nerve.

“Did you ever try to reach out to Cook? Tell him what happened?”

“Every day for 6 months. By the end, he told me that if I ever spoke to him again, he would jam his fist so far down my throat that he’d pull my balls out through my mouth… I took that as a hint to leave him alone.”

A heavy silence fell over the car.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me, Zye?”

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. “Well…”

“I mean… I get it… if I heard that about someone, I wouldn’t want to hang around them either.”

“I’m sorry Jack…” I placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Are we alright now though? You don’t think I’m some low life woman stealer? Am I back to being the ridiculously good-looking guy you know and love?”

“We’re fine now Jack.” I smiled sincerely. I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Between finding out that Jack stole Cook’s girlfriend and that Freddie was such a creep, I didn’t know how much more I could handle.

Jack nodded and started the car.

“Hey, Jack?”

“Yes?”

“Whatever happened to Eden?”

“I went to her house a few days after things blew up with Cook to try to get her to explain to him what had happened. Her mom answered the door saying that Eden had transferred to an all-girls boarding school four hours away. She seemed surprised that I didn’t know, apparently, they had been planning it for months. She hadn’t even bothered to tell any of us she was leaving. I wouldn’t be surprised if she planned the whole mess as a means of leaving her mark on us. Typical Eden.”

I noticed his hand lingering on the gear shift. I placed mine over his.

“I’m sorry about you and Cook. I’ll see if there’s any way I can help.”

He smiled warmly at me. “Thank you.”

Before long we had picked up Cook and Effie. Initially, I felt uneasy around Effie. After all, she had seen me almost kiss her sort-of boyfriend. If she and Cook were anything alike, it meant she may be holding a grudge against me. But, to my surprise, she and I fell into easy and comfortable conversation and before I knew it we were on our way to the cabin.

---

When they said we were coming to a “cabin”, I pictured a homely wooden structure, hidden amongst the trees. What I saw in front of me as we drove up was a sprawling, modern, angular structure nestled into the rolling hills of the countryside. As we drove around the side into the driveway, I had a full view of the dock and the lake just as the sun was setting over it. I jumped out of the car as it stopped to take it all in. It was absolutely breathtaking.

“Earth to Zye!” I heard Jack call from the porch.

I snapped out of my reverie and turned to help Cook and Effie empty the trunk.

Jack showed me to the room I’d be sharing with Maxxie.

“Will you be okay in here?” He asked, leaning against the doorframe.

“I think it will do quite nicely!” I said flinging myself dramatically onto the best nearest the bay window. Jack rested my things on the floor beside the bed and helped me up.

Jack headed down the hall to his own room while I began to make my way downstairs.

I ran down the stairs so quickly that my socks slipped on the hardwood floor. I felt myself beginning to fall and then being grabbed out of midair. I felt strong hands grab my waist and set me back on solid ground. It was Freddie.

“Are you alright?” He asked gently as I turned to face him, his hands still around my waist, his eyes with a glint of playfulness in them.

A sudden memory of his body pressed against mine in the dark, humid club flashing through my mind. As I stood only inches away from him, I felt the same burning desire in the pit of my stomach that I felt before. My hand traced its way up his arm again my better judgement. I shook away the memory and commanded my mind back to the present.

“I’m glad I bumped into you actually, Zye. I’ve been meaning to talk to you…”

“Thank you for catching me. I have to go.” I said curtly, pulling myself from his hands.

“Oh, right. Of course.” He said, awkwardly running his hands through his hair. Oh, how I wanted to run my fingers through that hair, gripping it as he placed hungry kisses on my collarbone and nibbled on my earlobe… I shook away the thought.

“Just be careful, wouldn’t want you to fall.” He said with a faint smile.

Chapter 5: Maxxie Makes a Mess (Maxxie’s POV)

By the time I got to Cook’s house, I had composed myself. I rang the buzzer and waited for Cook to open the door. I thought of what I was going to tell Zye when I saw her… She answered the door wearing one of Cook’s t-shirts, her hair that had taken me a year and a half to straighten was tightly coiled, frizzy curls again.

“Hello, my dearest cousin!” She said grabbing me in a hug.

“Why so cheerful?” I asked stepping inside.

“Here, let’s sit and I’ll tell you all about it. Cook’s in the shower so he won’t hear anything.”

She went on to relay all of last night’s event to me: her finally dabbling in drugs, Cook risking hypothermia to save her, saving her from death by truck and finally their mad make-out session.

“Sounds like you had a good night.”

It was amazing! I feel like I never really lived until last night,” She said beaming. I had never seen her so free. “How was yours?”

I took a deep breath and prepared to recount the tale I had conjured in my mind. I knew it was horrible, but it had to be done…

“Well, you know when you were inside dancing with Jack and Cook?”

“Before you left with Finn? Yeah? What about it?”

I almost felt bad for what I was about to do. She hadn’t even mentioned Freddie. For all I knew, she didn’t share his feelings. Still, I couldn’t risk it. No one showed me up when it came to guys, not even family.

“Well, for starters, I wasn’t entirely honest with you yesterday. I knew Freddie before last night. Our dads worked together for a while and so he’s been my saving grace at a few company functions. Last night, Freddie and I went outside to share a splif. And we had just finished it when I guess he decided that he wanted more than splif…”

“What do you mean Maxxie?” Her face full of concern. She reached out and placed a gentle hand on my knee. I almost reconsidered what I was planning next.

I took off my sweater and scarf to reveal the cacophony of hickies. I began to force fake tears to form in my eyes.

She gasped and her eyes grew wide. I let my gaze fall to the floor to avoid giving anything away.

“Did he…?” Her eyes grew wide.

“No, he didn’t rape me. He just touched me and stuff…”

“Maxxie! We need to call the police!” She said reaching for Cook’s cellphone. 

“No!” I said grabbing her hand. “I spoke to him this morning. I told him that I wouldn’t press charges as long as he left you alone.”

“Me? Why me?” 

“After he was done with me… he said he was going to go after you... I had to warn you…”

Zye’s face flushed completely.

“Did…did he try something with you last night Zye?” Man, I should have gone to a performing arts school.

“We…we danced… and we almost kissed… he was a little handsy but… I never thought…” My cousin gasped, throwing her arms around my neck and holding me tight.

“I’m so sorry that this happened to you Maxxie!” 

“I just wanted to make sure that you knew what he was really like before anything happened between the two of you…”

Zye shuddered.

“What are you two goin’ on about out here?” I heard Cook from behind me. I turned to see him, still dripping wet, wearing nothing but a white towel around his waist. My cousin had done well for herself… maybe I’d have some fun of my own with Cook when she inevitably grew tired of him…

“Nothing Cook, just girl stuff.” She said forcing a smile. She made her way over to Cook, took his face in her hands and kissed him. Cook smiled, slunk his arms around her waist and kissed her back. I wondered to myself if Zye would ever realize how attractive she actually was… Part of me hoped not, she’d definitely give me a run for my money. She didn’t have to try nearly as hard as I did for attention. She was just effortlessly desirable.

“Hi, Cook,” I called from the couch.

“Hello, Maxxie,” Cook turned back to Zye. “Hey Princess, do you mind grabbin’ my pants from my bed?”

Zye smiled and went off in search of his pants. Cook walked over to the couch, leaned over and spoke just inches from my face.

“I heard what you told her about Freddie. I don’t know what shit you’re tryin’ to start or why, but I suggest you drop it, yeah? Fredds is a good guy, I won’t have you spreadin’ lies about him. Do you understand?”

“Maybe you wouldn’t be so sure if you knew what he wanted to do to your new girlfriend…” I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Cook snorted. “Maybe you wouldn’t be so confident if I told Finn what really happened last night.”

“Or I could just tell Zye that you’re in on Freddie’s plan and that you’re trying to help him get closer to her.”

Cook furrowed his brow.

“Found your pants, Cook!” 

Cook and I both turned to see Zye standing a few feet behind us.

“Thanks, Princess,” Cook said going over, taking them from her and planting a kiss on her head.

“Is everything okay you guys?”

Chapter 4: Maxxie’s Turn (Maxxie POV) 

I woke up wrapped in Finn’s arms pleasantly surprised not to have a headache. The sun was streaming through his opened curtains, it was probably late morning. I rolled over and admired the arches of his cheekbones, ran my fingers over his square jawline and smiled to myself as my touch caused him to stir… I could hear my phone vibrating from somewhere on the floor beneath the clothes that lay haphazardly all over it. I wriggled my way out of his grasp and began to rummage through the piles until I found my phone under Finn’s pants. I sat on the edge of the bed and checked my text messages. The first was from Auntie: 

FR: Auntie xo

Saturday 8:30am

Good morning my sweet niece. I see that you and Zye are already gone. I hope you two slept alright. Behave yourselves today girls. Haha! I will talk to you two later. I am leaving for work in about an hour. Xo P.S. Maxine, call your mother.

To: Auntie xo

Saturday 11:45am

Hi Auntie. Sorry for not getting back to you earlier. We are at a friend of mine’s house and my phone was upstairs. We slept wonderfully thanks. I think we’re going to go get a bit of shopping done. Could you e-transfer Zye some money please? We forgot our wallets at home. Thanks, Auntie! I’ll call my mother later this evening if I remember.

I looked over at Finn. Still sound asleep. On to my next message then. It was from Zye. 

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 8:45am

Maxx where are you?! Mom is probably already awake! I’m going to be in so much trouble when she realizes we aren’t home! I don’t know why I let you talk me into these shenanigans! I swear if I’m going down I’m taking you with me!

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 8:46

Mom just texted me! What do I do?!

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 8:48am

Maxxie, I’m still at Cook’s house, he’s making me breakfast. Are you up yet? Are you okay? I’m okay, don’t worry. Cook is a lot nicer than I thought. How’s Finn? What time do you want to head home? Mom is texting me, what do I do?!

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 9:00am

TTTTTTTEEEEEEEXXXXXXXXXTTTTTTTT MMMMMMMMMEEEEEEE BBBBBBBBAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKKKKKK

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 9:30am

Okay. seriously. Wake the fuck up. You’re making me swear. You know I never swear.

I chuckled at my cousin’s innocence.

To: Zye-Zye

Saturday 11:56am

Good morning crazy. Control your rage Zye-Zye. I’m just going to freshen up and then I’ll come get you. Don’t worry about Auntie, I already dealt with it. I’ll see you soon.

FR: Zye-Zye

Saturday 11:57am

I hate you … but that was a great night! Let’s do it again tonight! Wait until I tell you what happened with Cook!

To: Zye-Zye Saturday 11:58am

Take it easy party-animal. I can’t wait! See you soon.

And last but not least I had a text from… Freddie…

FR: Freddie

Saturday 10:00am

Hey Maxxie, I had a great time with you last night. Are you busy today? There’s something I need to talk to you about.

I locked my phone, set it on the dresser and headed for the bathroom. I needed to wash the shame off of my face…

I let the steam from the running tap fill the bathroom. I sat on the floor with my back to the bathtub. Flash memories of Freddie pinning me up against the cool brick of the wall in the alleyway beside the club, his body pressed against mine, his lips on my neck… his hands up my dress…. All over my body…. One of them sliding into my tights… beneath my underwear…

I jumped as someone knocked on the door.

“Maxxie, are you in there?” I heard Jack call from the other side of the door. 

“Ya, sorry Jack I’ll be out in a second,” I said frantically turning off the water and opening the door.

“Good morning,” Jack said with a smile.

“Hey, Jack,” I said pushing past him and going to retrieve my phone and shoes from Finn’s room. Jack followed me.

“Looks like you and Finn had some fun before he passed out last night.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you looked in the mirror yet today Maxxie?”

Slowly, I turned to face Finn’s full-length mirror. My neck and chest were covered with an unsightly number of hickies. I was guessing based on what happened last night that there were definitely more than I could see. A wave of shame washed over me.

“Maxxie?” Jack’s voice was tainted with concern.

“It’s nothing,” I said, trying to act natural. “He just knows that I hate hickies, that’s all,” I said gesturing towards Finn, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

“I guess the pills made him a bit crazy,” Jack said chuckling uneasily. “I’ll grab you a sweater and a scarf to cover those up.”

“Thanks, Jack,” I said feigning a smile.

“Are you staying for breakfast?” Jack called from his room.

“No, I have to go get Zye.”

“Can I come? She and I kind of hit it off last night… she seems like a great girl… do you think she might be interested in me?”

“Um… she and I have some girl bonding to do… maybe next time?” I lied.

“Oh, come on Maxxie…” He said handing me a sweater and a scarf. “Wait, what do you mean pick her up? Where did she end up last night?”

“Oh, just at one of my friend’s houses. Why?” 

“Oh, no reason… I mean I saw her with Cook at one point so I was just curious…”

“Oh…” I just wanted the conversation to be over.

“So why can’t I come?”

“Next time Jack-Jack. Say bye to Finn for me?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell him to text you when he wakes up.”

“Thanks, Jack. I’ll see you later.” I said giving him a kiss on the cheek as I walked down the hall of their flat and to the door.

I had just gotten in the elevator when I felt my phone vibrate in my hand.

FR: Freddie

Saturday 12:30pm 

Hey Maxxie, did you get my message earlier?

To: Freddie

Saturday 12:31pm

Hey Freddie. Yeah, I did. I’m just leaving Finn’s flat. What’s up?

FR: Freddie

Saturday 12:31pm

I’m at the park behind the college. Can you meet me for a minute?

To: Freddie

Saturday 12:32pm

Yeah, okay.

FR: Freddie

Saturday 12:32pm

Cool. See you soon, yeah? 

To: Freddie

Saturday 12:33pm

Yeah. See you soon 

I don’t know why I agreed to meet Freddie… especially after what happened last night. Finn would be crushed if he ever found out… but there was just something about Freddie… something I couldn’t resist… 

I found my feet leading me to the park without me having to tell them where to go. Soon enough I could see Freddie sitting on a park bench. I snuck up behind him and let my fingers run along the back of his neck before coming around the bench and sitting beside him.

“Hello, Maxxie.” He said smiling at me.

“Hi, Freddie. What’s up? Your text sounded serious.” I asked sliding a little bit closer to him.

“Nothing, I just needed to see you…”

“What about Effie?” I asked, rubbing my hand on his chest as I moved even closer. 

“Well… After you and I… Effie came back to the club to try to make up with me, but we started fighting again ten minutes after she left so I told her I was sick of her games and I walked away…” Freddie moved my hand. I maintained my proximity to him anyway, hoping that he was just playing hard to get.

“So, you guys have broken up again?” I asked sliding impossibly closer.

“It’s complicated… that’s why I asked you to meet me…”

“Freddie, last night was great… but I’m with Finn…” I said, playing coy. A fling could be fun, and as long as Finn didn’t find out, then who was I really hurting?

“I know, I know… That’s not why I called you here.”

“What?” I slid away from him, the atmosphere around us shifting.

“I mean last night with you was great and all, I mean, lots of fun yeah? But… something else happened last night…”

“Oh, really Freddie? What? You fingered another girl too?”

“No…no… what happened with you was great Maxxie. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t sad to see you go when Finn got sick. I mean I would have fucked you right then and there and dealt with my guilty conscience later… you know you’re walking boner bait. …but I had another connection with someone last night…an emotional connection.”

“Who Freddie? Because it sounds to me like it wasn’t Effie.” I snarled, a rage beginning to burn inside me. “Do I know her?”

Freddie looked out to the fields, he grew distant.

“Freddie. Who is she?”

“Zye.”

I stood from the bench, not wanting to be remotely close to him.

“You mean my cousin?” I spat at him.

“Yes, that Zye.”

“Was this revelation before or after you decided it would be a good idea to cover me in hickies and finger me in an alley?”

“Don’t be like that Maxx…” He stood to face me.

“Before or after Freddie?!”

“I’ve had feelings for her since I first saw her at school… but I didn’t think she felt the same way until last night…” He ran his hands uneasily through his shaggy brown hair.

“Did you hook up with her?”

“No.”

“But you wanted to!”

“We were dancing and then Effie showed up.”

“So, you ditched her for Effie? Good luck trying to get her back. My cousin can be quite impressionable Freddie…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He said facing me. His gaze was a mixture of confusion, anger and …fear…

“I mean that Zye will believe anything I tell her about you because I’m her cousin. Blood goes deeper than any feeling she may or may not have had for you.” I got in his face, close enough to feel his shallow breaths on my face.

“Oh, come on Maxxie. Don’t be this way. I don’t even know why you’re mad. You said it yourself. You’re with Finn! Yeah, we had fun, but when it comes down to it, it shouldn’t have happened at all!”

“Yeah, I am with Finn. But it still doesn’t mean I’m going to let you fuck around with my cousin.”

“Have you always been such a sore loser?” He asked as I turned to walk away.

Chapter 3: Party, party, party!

As I burst into the cool night air, I tried to get my bearings. My mind was a blur of drugs, alcohol and raging emotions. I could see the illuminated headlights on Jack’s SUV. When I ran over to investigate, I saw Finn lying on the back seat about to pass out with his head on Maxxie’s lap.

 “We gotta get him home,” Maxxie said stroking his hair. “Are you going to stay?”

“Yeah, go ahead. I’m going to stay for a bit longer.”

“How are you going to get home Zye?” Jack asked from the front seat.

“I’ll go with Freddie or something. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.” I lied, hoping that they hadn’t seen what took place inside. I couldn’t handle being around them right now, I knew I would break down if I was.

“Is that the drugs talking or you?” Maxxie asked, examining me.

“Probably both!” I said forcing a smile. “You guys just need to worry about getting him home.” I turned and left before they could say anything else.

I walked back to the club, mounted the stairs and headed back inside. I reached into my bra and pulled out a blue skittle. I could use the boost in energy. As it began to dissolve, I heard a familiar voice yelling over by the bar. I pushed through the crowd to see Cook holding some guy 4 inches off of the ground, veins bulging through his temples.

“If I ever see you again, I’ll cut you to pieces. Do you understand? You don’t know who you’re fuckin’ with mate. I’m Cook. Don’t you ever forget that!” He said dropping the guy. The guy stumbled, losing his balance and then turned and left. 

I walked up behind Cook wrapping my arms around his stomach and standing on my tip toes to rest my chin on his shoulder.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“That asshole owes me money.” He said nonchalantly. “D’you want to get out of here?” 

I nodded. 

Cook grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels from the counter before placing a hand gently on the small of my back and escorting me out of the club. We meandered in the moonlight down winding roads until we reached a forest. 

“C’mon, there’s somethin’ I want you to see.” He said leading me through the darkness.

The forest opened into a clearing. It was breathtaking: the way the moon reflected off the pond, the air rustling the high grass.

“Let’s go swimming!” I shrieked.

“You sure? There’s a bit of a chill… Feels like we could get some snow soon. It’s been a strange winter.”

“Catch me if you can!” I yelled, taking a swig from the bottle of Jack.

“Fuck, you’.”re going to get us killed aren’t you?!” He teased

I grinned, running over to the water, stripping down to my lacey bra and barely-there underwear, and dove in. It felt like ice, instantly freezing every muscle in my body. My skin burned as if I were on fire. I began to panic, realizing I was losing control of my limbs. I managed to fight with every fibre of my being to break through the surface and gasp for air.

“C-c-c-cook!” I sputtered and spat water from my mouth. “C-cook I c-c-can’t m-m-move!” my head bobbed in the water. I had lost feeling in my feet and hands. “C-cook! W-w-w-where are you?” Each breath burned its way through me, felt as if it were slicing my windpipe. I sputtered and choked as the icy water rushed into my lungs. I heard a splash just beside me and felt something around me in the water, yanking me towards the grass. Cook hauled both of us out of the ice water and onto the grass. I huddled into a ball on the grass and shivered violently. Cook patted me down with his button-up shirt and then redressed me, pulling his own shirt over my dress to try to keep me a bit warmer. I looked over at him, his lips were blue and his hands shook as he struggled to put his pants on.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“What the fuck did you take Zye?”

“What?”

“You were serious about swimming?! Do you realize how stupid that was?! You could’ve gotten yourself killed! What the fuck did you take?” With each word, his face grew redder. He was shaking and his eyes were on fire.

“They gave me a blue and an orange skittle…and then I took another blue one just before finding you.”

“Fuck. And then they just left you?!” Cook took a few swigs out of the bottle of Jack.

“No, I left them,” I said jumping up. Somewhere in my mind, it registered just how much I sounded like a toddler throwing a tantrum. I took another swig out of the bottle.

“I didn’t want to go with them!” I protested. “I told them I was going with Freddie, but he abandoned me! And besides, I’m not done having fun yet!” I grabbed my shoes and took off into the forest. I could hear Cook calling after me but I didn’t stop. I just kept running. I could feel branches scratching my face and legs, the pain of the rocks and sticks under my feet barely registering to me.

When I broke through the trees, I was standing on a sidewalk. I felt like I was in a bubble of light. The swigs of Jack were definitely mixing with that third skittle. Four lanes of cars whizzed by. I spotted a median that separated the two directions of traffic.

That was where I wanted to be.

I wanted to lie on that median and feel the movement of the world around me, I wanted to be swallowed by it. I laughed out loud, not quite knowing why and then took my first step into the road. I could hear car horns blaring around me, but I didn’t care. I took another step, then another, and another. I looked to my right to see bright headlights speeding towards me. I smiled and stood, facing them. I could feel the energy whirring around me. I closed my eyes and smiled. Something hard clutching my upper arm snapped me out of my euphoria. I was flying through the air, ultimately landing on my back on the cold sidewalk. I opened my eyes to see Cook, livid, pinning me down. I could see his temples bulging as he yelled at me. I only laughed. He sat me up and began to shake me, continuing to scream. My bubble of light was fading and I could feel myself slipping slowly back into the real world. The realization of what had almost just happened to me began to sink in. I threw myself at Cook, allowing his warmth to envelope me and began to sob.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry, you just scared the fuck out of me. Hey, Zye, look at me. See? I’m not mad anymore. See?” He lifted my chin so that I was looking into his eyes.

“You came after me… if you hadn’t come, I’d be…I’d be - ”

“Hey, we’ll be having none of that tonight. C’mon there’s still time to party. Let’s go. Put your shoes on, I’ll take you somewhere fun.” He said wiping my tears. “But, not more skittles or booze, okay?”

I nodded, smiling up at him, and he smiled right back. In that moment, any memory of Freddie embarrassing me was completely obliterated by the feeling of security I had with Cook. I pulled on my shoes and we began to walk down the sidewalk. Cook and I walked for what must have been at least an hour, laughing and chatting, hand in hand. He wasn’t so bad once you got to know him - lewd and irritating at times, but he really was a good guy.

I realized that we had ended up in a residential complex in a rough looking neighbourhood.

“Hey Cook, where are we?” I said, moving a bit closer to him.

“My house is just down this way. I figured you probably needed to get warm and dry.” He said, putting a protective arm around me.

Cook climbed the tree next to his house and into an open window. In a moment, he was at the front door, gesturing for me to come in. We went up to his room and he rummaged through a drawer, passing me a t-shirt, boxer shorts and a pair of socks.

“I’ll even turn around while you change.” 

“My, what a gentleman,” I teased, beginning to shimmy out of my wet dress. I changed into the warm dry clothes and crawled beneath his sheets. “I’m done.”

“You can take the bed, I’ll take the floor.” He reached into his closet, pulling out a blanket and a pillow.

“Are you sure?”

“Definitely. You’ve had quite a night and you’ll probably be in bad shape in the morning. You need a good night sleep.” Cook spread his blanket on the floor.

“Are you going to sleep now, Cook?” 

“Not if you don’t want me to.”

“Could we keep talking for a while?”

“Whatever you like, Princess.”

Cook pulled off his shoes, his pants and his t-shirt. I couldn’t help but take in his body. His tattoos suited him, the way that they seemed to emphasize his chiselled, lean muscle.

“You checkin’ me out?”

I shook my head smiling. He curled up on the floor.

“Cook?”

“Yeah?”

“Why do you and Jack hate each other?”

“That obviously, is it?”

“I may have noticed hate-like feelings between the two of you.”

Cook sighed. “Jack and I were friends yeah? Like super fuckin’ close. Then one day, I came ‘round to his flat for a visit after a fight with my girlfriend, Eden. Only, Eden answers the door wearing nothin’ but his t-shirt. He says she just showed up and threw herself at him, that she was upset about the fight and he had tried to comfort her. Comfort her my ass.” Cook scoffed.

“He said he tried to send her off. Accordin’ to him, nothin’ happened, but when you find your girl wearin’ nothin’ but a guy’s shirt, you don’t need to be a genius to figure out what’s goin’ on. Yeah, Eden and I had been in a fight, but that didn’t give him any right to do what he did. My own best friend… Fuckin tosser,” Cook sighed. “I really loved her… and him…”

I let my hand fall over the edge of the bed and ran my fingers through his hair. “I’m so sorry Cook.”

“Hey, no sadness at this party. What do you want to do Zye?” He asked in a thinly veiled effort to change the topic.

“I want to watch the sunrise.”

“We can do that.”

“Cook?”

“Yeah?”

“You know... I don’t mind if you…wanna sleep up here…”

“You sure?”

“Yup.”

Cook sprang up from the floor and was behind me in an instant. We lay there, my back pressed against him, his arms wrapped around me and our feet intertwined. I could begin to see the sun peeking through Cook’s window. I turned onto my back and he propped himself up on his elbow, using his free hand to play with my hair.

“You’re beautiful Zye, d’you know that?”

Chapter 2: Let’s get this party started

I thought Friday would never come. I had spent every day this week hanging out with Freddie and Cook and their friends. They were all really nice, some were a bit rough around the edges, but on a whole, they were all quite nice. Katie and I even went shopping together yesterday. 

Tonight my cousin Maxxie was coming for the weekend. I could barely contain my excitement. Whenever Maxxie and I got together it usually ended with us lying in the grass somewhere drunk off our asses and exploding with laughter. Maxxie was the one who taught me how to hold my liquor and how to fake being sober enough to trick my parents. Some would call her a bad influence, I say she was full of valuable life lessons. True to form, she was coming early this evening to help me get ready for tonight. All the parties and clubs I had ever been to back home were pretty preppy. My new friends seemed like badasses…, which was why Maxxie was the perfect person to help me get ready. At 7:45 my doorbell rang and I flew down the stairs from my loft bedroom to answer it. 

Maxxie stood on my doorstep wearing black combat boots, black patent leather tights and a gold, knit sweater with a black cat on the front. Her black square glasses sat on the bridge of her nose. Her messy bun was held up by two orange chopsticks. I could never tell if she was a fashion genius, or just always got ready in the dark.

“Maxxie! I missed you!” I said throwing my arms around her neck.

“Hey, latecomer! Time to turn you into a Brit!” She said hugging me back. 

“Hi, Auntie!” She called as we ran up the stairs and into my room. I made sure to lock the door behind us.

“What treasures have you brought for tonight, my dear cousin?”

“Gross. Who talks like that?” She teased, playfully tossing a scarf at me. “Well for starters, I brought you an outfit because… well, your style doesn’t exactly fit in here. Also, I brought Whiskey and skittles.”

“Skittles? In case we need a sugar rush?”

“Wow. I forgot how sheltered you are. Skittles as in the best high you will ever have in your life. I’ll explain later.”

“Like drugs? ...Maxxie, I don’t know…”

“Don’t be such a knob Zye. Let’s get you ready, get some shots into you and see how you feel after that. How are we getting to this shindig anyway?” 

“I think we’re walking, I didn’t exactly tell mom where we’re going tonight.”

Maxxie rolled her eyes at me. She rummaged through her bag, pulled out her cellphone and began to text vigorously.

“Who are you texting?”

“Jack and Finn. They don’t live far from here, and they’re always down to party.”

“You mean those twins you were telling me about? The really attractive ones?”

“Mhm. Finn says that they’ll be here around 12. C’mon lets go straighten your hair.”

“Why?”

“So I can tease the fuck out of it.”

“Well, that sounds counterproductive.” I scoffed.

“How do you even have friends?”

“Ha. Ha. Ha. You’re hilarious.”

“No seriously, like sometimes I question if we’re even really related.”

I playfully shoved my cousin onto my bed. 

“C’mon Maxxie, turn me into a sex god,” I said, posing dramatically.

“That’s my speciality.”

 Three hours later and I was deemed ready. I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn’t believe it. My now straight hair had been teased so that it flowed around my face and cascaded down to my waist. Maxxie had lined my eyes with black liner on the top and green on the bottom. She said it would make them pop. Boy did it ever. It looked like someone had taken out my green eyes and replaced them with emeralds! I let my eyes trail down over the sleeveless, skintight, black dress that barely covered my bum and down the thigh-high gladiator heels. I shook the many studded silver bracelets that Maxxie had pushed onto my arm.

“Maxxie… I look… I look…”

“Perfect.” She said stepping beside me. I looked at her outfit in the mirror. She wore high-waisted black pants with a silver crop top and combat boots. 

“What is it with everyone here and combat boots?”

“They’re hot,” Maxxie said walking back over to her bag and pulling out the bottle of whiskey. “Ready for some shots? Jack and Finn will be here soon”

“I’m still not sure how we’re going to get out Maxxie.”

“Doesn’t Auntie go to bed at like 10:00 every night?”

“So we’re just going to sneak out?”

“Pretty much.”

“I’m going to need shots.”

“How many?”

“As many as it takes for this to start to sound like a good idea.”

Maxxie winked at me and cracked open the bottle.

3 shots later and I was feeling a nice buzz. I looked in the mirror again. Maxxie was right, I did look perfect. I felt a lot more comfortable with my outfit, even so far as to whine and shimmy in the mirror.

“Alright then Cinderella, the boys are here, they parked down the street. Does that mesh come out of your window?”

“I don’t know… I haven’t tried it yet.”

“Well, we’re about to find out.”

Maxxie rummaged through her bag and then came over and shoved what looked like a bag full of skittles into my cleavage.

“What are you doing?!”

“Think of it as a temporary push up bra. Besides, mine are too small to conceal it.” She said opening my window.

The mesh slid off rather easily and Maxxie indicated for me to go first. I peered over the windowsill, it was quite the drop if I fell… High enough to break bones for sure… maybe my neck… I could feel my hands begin to shake.

“Strap on a pair and get out there Zye.”

I took a deep breath and swung one leg, then the other out of the window and onto the trellis. Slowly and steadily I began to make my way down. The chilly night breeze rustled my hair and raised goosebumps on my arms. Finally, my feet were on the grass of my front yard. I looked up at the trellis, and then at my window. Maxxie was already halfway down, the mesh had been replaced on my window and the window remained ajar. At least I knew how we were getting back in. Maxxie joined me on solid ground, fluffed up my hair and then she and I headed towards an SUV at the end of my street.

“Crank up the confidence cousin. Pop your tits out a bit, yeah like that. We’re going to show these new friends of yours just how hot you really are.” 

------- 

A dark-haired boy with sunglasses on stepped out of the passenger seat of the SUV when we were a few steps away. He opened the back door for us. I was about to get in when he pinned Maxxie against the side of the car and proceeded to suck face with her. I struggled to hide my level of disgust; even though he was gorgeous, the impromptu facial assault was still a bit alarming. The driver’s side door opened and out stepped an identical copy of the first boy. He smiled at me and I felt my cheeks grow warm. 

“Hi, I’m Jack, that’s my brother Finn. You must be Zye.”

“N-n-nice to meet you.” I managed to stammer out. Smooth Zye, real smooth.

He chuckled. “ Hop in the front, we’ll leave them to it in the back.”

I nodded and made my way into the SUV. Jack managed to get Finn and Maxxie to stop making out long enough to get them into the backseat before climbing in the front seat himself. In no more time than it took Jack to start the car, Maxxie was already back on top of Finn. Jack pulled off the curb and we were on our way.

“Don’t mind them, my brother isn’t usually like this. He popped an orange and a red skittle before we got here. He always gets nervous around your cousin.” 

“Skittles did that to him?”

“Did Maxxie not explain skittles to you?”

I shook my head.

“Alright, well, Skittles are a synthetic compound. You get a different trip from each colour, and if you mix colours you’re going to have a fucked up night. Red is passionate lust; orange helps you let loose; yellow makes you euphoric; green makes you a little bit crazy, but in a good way; blue is called the superman effect, pretty much you just feel invincible; purple makes you feel like everyone’s object of desire.”

“That actually sounds like fun to me.”

“It’s always fun watching someone have their first trip. You’re probably going to freak out a bit at first, but then you’ll get used to it. And besides, you can always come and find me, I’ll take good care of you.” He said cheekily. I laughed, feeling more comfortable around him. He winked before turning into the parking lot of a dark, loud building.

“Alright, lovebirds we’re here!” Jack said banging on the roof. 

 The line to get in snaked down to the end of the block.

“You said you got us a hook up to get in right?” Maxxie asked.

“Ya, Thomas is working the door tonight so we shouldn’t have any problems.” Thomas was part of Freddie and Cook’s crew, I’d learned that he always had great connections for a good time.

We pushed past the line of people waiting, strutting like royalty. I saw Thomas standing at the door reading over a checklist.

“Thomas!” I called making my way up to him and waving.

“Ah, Zye you are finally here! Let’s get you inside before you freeze in those clothes! Are these your friends?”

“Yeah, this is my cousin Maxxie and our friends Jack and Finn.”

“Any friend of yours is a friend of ours. Have fun tonight!”

“Thanks, Thomas!” I said kissing him on the cheek. Maxxie was right, the easiest way for me to let loose was to get some shots into me.

“Did you bring anything special?” He leaned over and whispered in my ear.

I smiled and patted my chest. Thomas laughed before unclipping the chain and letting us in.

We ran up the stairs and into the packed club. It was hazy and humid, with multicoloured lights flashing in every direction. They were blaring dubstep and people were flailing their bodies around erratically in ways I had never even seen before. I spotted Cook up by the booth doing shots with the DJ. He spotted me right away. I smiled and waved at him. He whispered something in the DJ’s ear, which caused him to laugh.

“Oi! I have a shoutout for Zye from Cook. He says you’re lookin’ fit tonight and he can’t to see what those Canadian hips can do!” The DJ announced over the music. 

I threw my head back as I laughed. I felt something slide around my waist only to realize that it was Jack’s arm. He smiled at me and I smiled back, still curious about his almost reflexive behaviour.

“Wizzer! You made it!” I saw Pandora come bounding towards me from out of the crowd. “Come help us out! We’re tryin’ to cheer up Freddie, Effie broke up with him again this morning.” Pandora grabbed my hand and led us through the crowd of people to a booth at the back of the club. I could faintly make out everyone’s faces. Freddie sat at the edge of the booth looking rather grim. I plopped down beside him.

“Hey Freddie, I have something that will make everything better!” I reached into my cleavage and pulled out the baggie of skittles. Everyone lit up as I dropped the bag on the table. 

“By the way, this is my cousin Maxxie and her friends Jack and Finn,” I said as they sat down beside me.

“We know Jack and Finn, Zye. We all go way back,” Freddie said as he and Jack did the bro handshake.

We passed around the Ziploc baggie full of skittles and everyone pulled out their cellphones to use the light to be able to see the colours. Everyone popped either one or two.

“Are you going to have some?” Freddie asked me cheekily, popping a yellow one.

“I’m not sure…” I said hesitantly.

“Come on Zye, I’ll even pick for you,” Maxxie said taking the bag from Freddie. She placed a blue and an orange pill in the palm of my hand.

“Are you sure I can handle two? I’ve never even had one.”

“Zye, don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” Jack said from beside me. “ We can even take them at the same time.” He said taking a red and an orange pill from the bag.

I nodded nervously. Jack instructed me to put them under my tongue and let them dissolve rather than swallowing, the high would kick in faster that way. Again I nodded placing both pills beneath my tongue. 

Maxxie beamed at me from the end of the booth. “Finally getting on my level, eh Zye?”

I laughed, being careful to keep the pills secured beneath my tongue. I was so nervous, not knowing what to expect. Within seconds the pills had completely dissolved.

“How will I know that they’re working?”

“At first you’ll feel a little buzz in the back of your head, sort of like a sugar rush. And then trust me, you’ll know.” Freddie said with a smile.

“It’s good to see you smile Freds,” I said, allowing my leg to brush against his.

“Do you want to get a drink?” He asked me, resting his hand on my knee.

“Yeah, sure,” I said smiling.

“Hurry back,” Jack said with a wink as Freddie and I stood.

“I’ll be back, don’t worry,” I said with a laugh.

 Once we got past everyone, Freddie took my hand and led me to the bar.

“Two Irish car bombs!” He yelled to the bartender over the noise of the club.

“Hey, Freddie?”

“Yeah?” He said smiling wider at me.

“Do you feel it yet?”

“I’m starting to. Are you feeling it yet?”

“I feel a bit of a buzz in the back of my head…”

“Just wait Zye, this is going to be the best night of your life!” He said placing a hand on the small of my back.

Our drinks came and we chugged them without reserve. As I clunked my glass onto the counter I felt heightened. The music seemed to be coming from inside of me, the lights seemed to be calling me as they flashed in heightened neon tones.

“Hey, Freddie?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m feeling it!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Let’s get fucked up tonight!”

“Oh yeah, you’re definitely feeling it.”

“Freddie! I want to dance!”

Freddie leaned over closer to me, lowering his hand to my hip and nuzzling the side of my neck.

“Do you want to dance with me?”

“Definitely,” I said placing my hand on the nape of his neck. All I could think about was how great it would feel to kiss him right then and there. Maybe it was the drugs. He stood up again, looking down at me with those brown, playful eyes. No, it was definitely just that I thought he was a beautiful man. 

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and turned to see Cook grinning at me.

“Well Princess, I think you owe me a dance.”

“I was actually just about to dance with Freddie.”

“Aw old Freddie won’t mind, will you Freds? Besides, he’ll come find you when the time is right, won’t you Freddie?”

Freddie gave my hip a squeeze. “ Don’t worry, we’ll have our dance, go dance with Cook. He’ll do you good.” Freddie winked and then headed back to our booth.

Cook bowed and extended his hand towards me. I laughed, I couldn’t picture him being anything other than an ass, but now he was as playful as a child. I took his hand and he led me to the dance floor. 

 The drugs had definitely kicked in now. Everything seemed to be moving faster than before. The bass now felt like it was resonating from somewhere deep inside my soul.  I could feel myself making fluid, calculated movements with my arms and hips. I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing but Cook seemed to like it. With a Cheshire cat grin on his face, He bounced around in perfect time to the music, a bottle of beer in one of his hands, still holding my hand with the other.  I threw my head back and couldn’t contain my laughter. Why hadn’t I done this before? I felt like I was on top of the world. Like nothing could touch me. Like no one could hurt me. Like I was invincible.

“Are you havin’ a good time?”

“Best fuckin’ night of my life!”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Cook pulled me closer to him. I felt like I could feel the rhythm of his heartbeat manipulating the air around us. I placed my hand on his chest. I could feel it, his racing heart. I leaned my head on his collarbone and laughed. I felt two hands on my hips and turned to see whom they belonged to.

“Jack!” I said with a big smile, taking one of his hands in mine.

 “Oi, fuck off, can’t you see we’re dancin’?” Cook barked at him, over my shoulder.

“Yeah well, now it’s my turn.” Jack shot back. 

The tension between the two of them was palpable. Whatever this was it went way deeper than dancing with me.

“Cook, it’s okay. I’ll come find you when the time is right.” I said winking at him. 

“If this fucker gives you any trouble, you come and tell me, yeah?” Cook said, taking my face in his hands.

I nodded and then kissed Cook on the cheek. I guess, in his own way, he was kind of sweet.

 Jack led me back to the booth. Everyone except Naomi and Emily had dispersed.

“Are you feeling it yet?” He asked, pulling me into the booth.

“Oh yeah.”

“How does it feel?”

“Amazing!”

Jack laughed at my enthusiasm. 

“I find you quite attractive Zye.”

I laughed. “Awfully forward of you isn’t it Jack?”

“I have a feeling that you also find me attractive.”

“Again, awfully forward aren’t you Jack?”

He laughed. “So does that mean I’m wrong?” He took one of my hands and brushed his lips against my wrist.

“Well, I never said that,” I said brushing my leg against his.

“I want to get to know you.” He said brushing away a stray piece of my dark brown hair.

I smiled and felt my cheeks grow warm again. I slid closer to Jack in the booth. As uninhibited as I felt, I still didn’t kiss him. I felt more inclined to tease his a bit first, I wanted to make him beg. So instead, I crossed my legs and put them on his lap. He stroked the outer part of my thigh with his thumb as we talked. We sat there in the booth, just talking. I was so content I felt like I could just stay there forever. I was comfortable around Jack… he made me feel safe.

“I believe it’s time for my dance.” I heard Freddie’s voice from just behind me.

I turned to him and smiled. Then turned back to Jack. “Jack, do you mind?”

“Not at all, just make sure to return her to me, got it Freds?”

“Yeah, Jack.” He said laughing. 

 I left the booth with Freddie and he took me to the very centre of the dance floor.  Freddie and I began to allow our bodies to match the erratic bass of the song, flailing this way and that, laughing all the while. Suddenly the tempo changed. Freddie and I stopped. The song climax began to blare over the speakers. Freddie and I locked eyes as he made his way closer and closer to me until our bodies were pressed tightly together. I began to undulate my torso and pelvis, Freddie’s body moving completely in sync with mine. He placed his hands on the small of my back, gripping fistfuls of my dress in his hands. I allowed one of my hands to fall on the nape of his neck and I went deeper into my movements. Freddie’s breaths grew deeper. He allowed his forehead to fall and rest on mine. He stared into my eyes and I felt as if he was looking deep into me. I felt completely exposed. I shivered and then smiled. Freddie smiled back. I saw his lips form the words “Can I kiss you?” and I nodded, tingling with anticipation. I let my eyes close, expecting to feel his lips against mine, but instead, I felt him pull away. I opened my eyes to see him looking towards the entrance of the club. I turned to see Effie’s tear-streaked face through the crowd. Freddie left me in an instant and I watched as he ran over to her and lifted her up off of the ground in a spinning kiss. I guessed that they were one of those couples that often “broke up” but were never really broken up. 

Chapter 1: The Adventure Begins

Jass 

The sun, the sand, the sea. The way the ocean spray kissed my skin. Everything was perfect. Even the way the sun beat down on my forehead, burning the surface - felt…good. In the distance, I saw Sasha and his friends horsing around in the sand. I was always amazed that those boys didn’t kill each other. Leah - the geek in my math class - was sketching the waves as they crashed on the beach. Her boyfriend Joe lay not too far from her, trying to tan his pale skin. Natalia and Ivy were rubbing on suntan lotion. Nothing could make this moment any better…

“Jass …” I felt something jabbing my side. My head began to float, as if in a pool of water.

“Psst! Jass!” As the jabbing persisted, the blur cleared.

The heat and sand of the beach were quickly replaced by my cold hard desk, the sun by hideous fluorescent lights.

“Jass!”

“What?!” I snapped as I sat up.

I looked around to see the entire class staring in my direction, Miss Anderson tapping her foot impatiently.

“Sorry.” Ivy mouthed as she diverted her gaze.

 Ivy

“Jass …” I jabbed her in the side with my pencil.

She had fallen asleep in class again and Miss Anderson had promised that the next kid to fall asleep in her math class would be sent to the office, ‘no ifs ands or buts’.

“Psst, Jass!”  I don’t know what she was always doing at night that made her so tired in the mornings.

“Jass!” I said a little louder.

“What?!” She screamed, her head snapping off of the desk.

That got Miss Anderson’s attention, as well as the rest of the class’.  Jass shot an angry look in my direction.

“Sorry.” I mouthed as Miss Anderson came over.

“How dare you two interrupt my class?” She said tapping her foot.

I began to giggle, she reminded me of Josh Peck from Drake and Josh. That woman really needed to shave.

“Well, uh…” Jass began, sleep still all over her face.

A knock on the door saved us.

“Miss Anderson, there’s someone at the door.” A redhead girl in the back of the class said, not even bothering to look up from her cell phone.

The whole class turned to see who the visitor was.                                                          

Ugh! Just my luck, Sasha. Why does my brother always have to …be so Sasha?!

“He’s your twin!” Mama says.

“You were meant to always be together and love each other,” Papa says.

I rolled my eyes, to mama and papa’s dismay.  

“Hi Miss Anderson, would you mind if I borrowed my sister for just a second?” Always the charmer… even to women three times his age.

I hated the way all of the girls in our class drooled over him and envied me as I got up to go to the door. What did they think I was going to do? Make out with him? Incest, the game the whole family can play.

He shut the door behind me as I stepped into the hallway.

“What now?”  I asked.

“Cuba.” He said, flashing one of his perfect smiles. He disgusted me.

“What?”

“Cuba. Mama and Papa just texted me saying that they have discounted tickets for Cuba.”

“Keep talking’.” I liked where this was going. Good old parents. Being the Russian Ambassador’s son had its advantages.

“They can get as many as we need. I figure we all go to Cuba for spring break.”

“Remind me to thank them,” I said grinning from ear to ear.

“Get back to class.” He said walking away. “Oh, by the way, I’m driving the Porsche tonight.”

Oh Sasha, never able to let me forget why I hate him so much. I flipped him the bird before heading back.

 Sasha

Why do I have a twin? I guess someone decided that I was so gorgeous that there needed to be two of me. Only they screwed up, and we got Ivanna. I crack myself up.

“Excuse me, young man,” Oh no, V.P Callaghan. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I'm so sorry Mrs Callaghan. I was taking a call from my father. I promise I’ll get back right away.” I flashed her one of my signature smiles.

“Oh, alright then Mr Shostakovich, just hurry along.”

Too easy. As soon as the V.P turned the corner, I walked down the rest of the hallway and out of the building to my Harley.

Too Easy.

 Natalia

Why did I ever sign up to take calculus?! I’ve always been bad at math, and it does not get easier at the grade 12 level. It won’t be that bad I told myself you may even enjoy it. Yea right! This blows harder than Ivy at prom. 

The door opened, and suddenly I was given a reason why this course was worthwhile Sasha Shostakovich. Everything about him was larger than life gorgeous; his pearly white smile, his pale blue eyes, his chestnut brown hair, even the slight bulge that lay behind his zipper seemed perfect.

“Miss Jennings!” My teacher Mr Melcovitch brought me out of Sasha’s pants and back to reality. “Could you please tell the class the answer to the question on the board?”

“I’ll try…” Giggles erupted around me and I slunk down a little in my chair.

“Alrighty then, if a train leaves station A at x o’clock and a train leaves station B at y o’clock and the two trains are….” Eventually, the question just began to sound like mindless jabber. My eyes slowly shifted back to Sasha and the flawless back of his head.

I was never going to pass calculus if the only thing I was calculating was the slope of Sasha’s ass.

 Sterling

I sat in calculus, desperately trying not to fall asleep. Sasha and I decided it would be fun to go partying the night before our last day of school… some plan that was.  I guess I’m not the only one falling asleep in this pathetic class because Mr M decided to ‘engage us’. His victim? Miss Natalia Jennings.

No offence to Natalia, but she comes off as being your typical, happy go lucky, dumbass cheerleader who will probably sleep her way into University. I’m surprised she hasn’t dropped out of the class. Then again, getting to watch her walk into class after she’s bought another low-cut tank top is a definite perk. 

Sasha and I turned to face her. He nudged me as the look on her face quickly changed from la-la land to real land.

Luckily for “Jugs Jennings”, the bell rang and I gaped as she and her “little” friends bounce out of the classroom.

“Stop drooling, I have news for you.” Sasha teased, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

“What?”

“Cuba. Spring Break. You, me and as many skirts as we want.” He said naughtily.

This was why Sasha was my best friend.

 Leah

The second I left the classroom, I began to scan the hallway for Joe, my boyfriend. He stood, faithfully at my locker, waiting for me to get out of class.

“Hey, Hun,” I said, striding over and giving him a hello kiss.

“Hey babe, how are you doing?”

“Pretty good. Class sucked though.”

“Aww, poor thing.”

Just as he was going in for another kiss, I felt myself being lifted off the ground. I could hear Sasha and Sterling’s Neanderthal-like laughter.

“Do you mind?!” Joe yelled as Sterling tossed me over his shoulder.

Poor Joe, his heart was in the right place, but his mind never was. My friends Sterling and Sasha were at least 3 heads taller than him and could easily take him down in a second.  

“Sorry, were we interrupting?” Sterling giggled.

“Shut up Sterling! You know you’re just jealous!” I said as he put me down.

“Of who? You or Joe? Oh, Leah! I just want you so bad! Oh, yeah right there!” He teased as he and Sasha pelvic thrust at me.

“Cut it out!” Now Joe was pissed. He shoved Sterling in his chest. It didn’t move him very far, but it was enough to change his mood.

“Joe! It’s okay, they’re just kidding.” I jumped in.

“Yea Joeybear, Sterling and I were just having some fun with our bestest buddy Leah,” Sasha said, flashing one of his signature smiles.

I swear if I hadn’t known him for most of my life, I’d seriously consider jumping his bones.

“I just don’t like it,” Joe said, pouting.

“Come on Joe, let’s go,” I said taking his hand and leading him back to my locker. Sterling and Sasha decided to follow.

“Anyways, I have big news about spring break.” Sasha began. His dad had probably bought him some sort of private jet or something. He was always getting things like that, spoiled brat, it’s why we still loved him. “How do you guys feel about spending spring break in a five-star resort in Cuba?”

I almost lost my balance. CUBA?!?! Wow!

“YES!” I said before I could even think about it. “Can Joe come too?”

“Would I have brought it up in front of him if he wasn’t invited?”

“Yes,” Sterling interjected.

“Well… this time, no. Joe

is invited, you’re invited and so is Sterling. Naturally, Ivy will be coming with some of her friends, but we won’t let that dampen our spirits.”

Chapter 1: New School, Same You

I sat, paralyzed in the passenger’s seat of our new SUV. It felt so odd to be sitting on the left side of the car and not have a steering wheel in front of me. It felt bizarre to be driving on the left side of the road. Most of all, it felt absolutely absurd to be wearing a raincoat in January instead of long underwear and a heavy down-filled coat. Where was the snow? The ice? The winter festivity? I let my head fall against the glass with a thud.

“I can come inside with you if want sweetie.” My mom placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.

“No, I’ll manage. I always do.” I popped open the car door, pulling my small polka dotted backpack begrudgingly over one shoulder.

“It’ll be different this time. As your dad said, this is a semi-permanent placement. This could be the last move for us.”

I slid out into the rain, stuffing ends of my ringlets into my hood.

“Different town. Same story.” I let the car door slam behind me.

I hadn’t taken two steps before I heard the car tires start to splash through the puddles. 

I sighed as I took in the school. Roundview College, it had come highly recommended by many of my dad’s colleagues. It looked like any other school to me. There were skateboarders grinding the rails of the stairs. One in particular - a dark-haired, mocha skinned boy – shook the water out of his like a puppy. I let my gaze trail along the other students milling about. They landed on a thin girl leaning against the building trying to light a cigarette. She was such a stereotypical rebel: dishevelled hair, chunky black combat boots, tights, her opened raincoat exposing a pale blue silhouette dress whose hemline classified it more as a long top. Having finally lit her cigarette she took a long drag and nonchalantly allowed her gaze to trail around the school grounds. It took me a moment to realize that her gaze stopped on me. I watched as she sized me up, not once, but twice. Then she just stared, her face indifferent and impossible to read. I began to feel uncomfortable, realizing that not only had she caught me staring but that I was still standing just paces from where my mom had dropped me off.

“Different town. Same Story.” I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and began to walk towards the entrance of the school. 

The halls reeked of damp shoes and long forgotten lunches stuffed into the backs of lockers before the Christmas break. I glanced around to see if I could find the office. No such luck. And of course, just then students began to engulf the hallway. Just what I needed. I felt myself being bumped this way and that by rowdy teenagers trying to make their way to their lockers or to meet up with friends. Without warning a particularly loud boy came booming into the hall hollering “Are you fuckers ready for round two?!” I rolled my eyes and vowed to avoid him, he did not seem like the type to attract good company. To my dismay, as he tried to make his way past me he knocked my backpack off of my shoulder.

“Hey!” I called reflexively. 

He spun on his heels, with a cocky air and a raised eyebrow. He marched over to me, standing just a bit too closely for my comfort. My body told me to step back, get him out of my personal space, but my pride told me otherwise.

“Can I help you?”

“You knocked… I mean you bumped…You can’t just - ”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” He narrowed his gaze at me. “ You’re not from here are you, princess?” 

Out of fear that I would continue to babble like an inarticulate child I remained silent but continued to hold his stare.

“A quiet one, hmm.” He seemed to be contemplating the implications of my silence. Finally, his mouth shifted from a thin line to a sly smirk “Allow me to introduce myself New Girl.” He circled me until he stood behind me, standing even closer than before. He breathed two words down the side of my neck causing me to shiver. 

“I’m Cook.”

There was an obvious arrogance about him. Cook smelled of laundry detergent, cigarettes and a hint of vodka. Part of me wanted to know him… part of me wanted to get as far away from him as possible.

“What do you think J.J., you think this American will last?” He yelled as he stepped back, to a curly-haired boy who was standing awkwardly in front of a row of lockers a few feet away. The boy searched for words but finally gave up simply nodding frantically in response to Cook.

Cook chuckled making his way back in front of me. 

“I’m not American!” I called as he started to walk away.

“See you later Princess!” He called over his shoulder as he and J.J. continued to make their way down the hall.  

“Don’t mind Cook, he’s a bit of a nob really. Is it true that you’re American?” A bubbly, knee-high striped sock wearing girl appeared in front of me.

“Um no… I’m from Canada…” I found myself answering.

“Whizzer! So you’re an immigrant!” She spoke with such vigour that her pigtails flopped around as she spoke.

“…I guess…”

“Have you been to the office yet? You have to meet Doug! He’ll tell you everythin’ you need to know about everythin’!”

Before I could answer, her hand grabbed mine and was pulling me rather enthusiastically down a hall going on about how I was the most exotic person she had ever met aside from her ex-boyfriend who came from Africa or something like that.

“Here we are, the office!” She said finally letting go of my hand. “ Well go on then, he won’t bite.” She said, not giving me a chance to knock before doing it herself and then opening the door.

The office was very typical of a school. A desk across from the door with two wooden chairs on one side and a leather, authoritative looking chair on the other. Off to the left were multitudes of filing cabinets which I assumed contained the information of all of the students and faculty. To the right was a wooden door marked “Principal”. A suited, balding man sat in the leather chair reading a magazine

“Hey there Doug, look who I found just standin’ in the hall all by herself! Well, she wasn’t really all by herself, she was talking to Cook. Isn’t that right?” She said turning to me. “Well, anyways she’s new! She’s from Canada! How exotic is that?”

“Yes. Thank you, Pandora. You may head to homeroom now.”

Pandora smiled and then bubbled out of the office, closing the door behind her.

“I’m assuming that you are Miss Eastwood? Please, sit.” Doug rose from his chair, indicating for me to take a seat.

I slipped onto the chair, resting my backpack on the chair beside me.

“Welcome to England Miss Eastwood. Oggy Oggy Oggy!”

I couldn’t manage to conceal the look of confusion on my face. Doug seemed to shrug off my reaction.

“How long have you been in this beautiful country of ours?”

“We get here a week ago. The jetlag finally seems to be wearing off.”

Doug smiled, a bit too enthusiastically, and then proceeded to give me a copy of my schedule and explain the workings of Roundview to me. I couldn’t help but space out and think about all my friends back home starting to pick out prom dresses… I was missing my own prom…  By no means did plucking a twelfth grader out of school in the middle of the school year only to plunk her in Bristol seem like a good idea to me… 

“Well Miss Eastwood, let’s get you to homeroom. We wouldn’t want you being too late on your first day.” Doug smiled and he indicated for me to stand.

As we walked through the hall he tried to make conversation by telling me about events I had missed before the Christmas break: sports events and dances and bake sales and other various regular school excursions.

“Ah, here we are. Your homeroom. You’re in luck, your Psychology professor, one of our finest, has recently taken her job back. She’ll make sure to get you settled in quite well.”

I shimmied out of my rain jacket and tousled my hair a bit as he knocked on the door.

“Excuse me, Angie? Ah, yes, I have a new addition for you today.”

“Come in, come in and introduce yourself, we won’t bite.”

I found myself making my way slowly over to an empty chair at an empty table in the middle of the classroom… Right beside Cook. 

“Well then, come on up and introduce yourself!” Angie said smiling at me.

I dropped my things on the chair. I found myself fidgeting with the bracelets that ran midway up my forearm as I made my way up to the front of the class.

“Well, my name is Zyeleika Eastwood,” I began. “ I’m from a city called Ottawa in Canada.”

“Canadian, eh?!” Someone called from the back. The class erupted into giggles.

“Well, ya..”

“Lovely, how long have you been here Zyeleika?” Angie asked me.

“Um, about a week?”

“Good, so you’ve had time to adjust to the time change. What brought you across the pond to our side?”

“My dad is a British Ambassador. We were stationed in Canada for the past 4 years at the Embassy there, but recently he got transferred back here.”

“Sounds like quite the adventurous life! Does that mean you’ve travelled a lot?”

“Ya, my family and I have lived pretty much all over the world.”

“Well, that’s fascinating Zyeleika, welcome to - ”

 The door swung open and in walked the dark-haired boy I saw skateboarding, the girl who was smoking and Pandora. What the three of them could possibly have in common I would never guess.

 “Well, I suppose you all have a very good reason for interrupting my class.”

“Sorry, Angie.” The boy muttered and settled into a seat just behind mine.

“Well then Zyeleika, thank you and I hope you enjoy your time here at Roundview. Oh, Freddie? As punishment for interrupting my class today, you’ll be showing our new student around, yeah?” Both the dark-haired boy – Freddie – and I looked up at Angie in equal confusion. I didn’t want to be stuck with some ragamuffin skateboarder all day and from the looks of it, he wasn’t too keen on being stuck with me either. “You can take a seat now Zyeleika.”

 As I began to make my way back to my seat Freddie and I locked eyes. His didn’t suit his rough demeanour. Though they were dark, they were childlike, playful. He held my gaze until I sat in my seat. Cook had already taken my things off of my chair and set them on the desk in front of me… and was going through my day planner.

“That’s personal property.” I hissed at him as Angie started the lesson.

“Then you shouldn’t’ve left it lyin’ ‘round.”

“It was in my backpack. It wasn’t just lying around. Now give it back.”

“Y’know I could just listen to you talk all day, your accent just makes everything you say sound adorable.” He rested his head on his hand and let out an exaggerated sigh. “We in love yet princess?”

“Ew.”

“What’s the matter? Afraid of a real man?”

“I don’t know, all I see are little boys,” I said taking a sip of my water. This guy was turning into a problem.

“That’s ‘cause you haven’t seen what I can do with my cock.” 

I choked on my water, sputtering and gasping for air. Cook just sat, staring at me and smiling.

“That’s enough Cook, leave her alone.” I heard from behind me.

“Calm down Freds, we was just having a laugh. Weren’t we princess?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Well then Freddie, it seems that you’re keen on interrupting my class today. Would you be so kind as to share whatever it is that you and Mr Cook find so interesting?” Angie said from the front of the classroom. 

I glanced over my shoulder to see his reaction. His face had grown harder than before. 

“Well then, Mr McClair?”

“Sorry, Angie.”

“Holidays are over boys, time to focus. Now, where were we?” Angie said, turning her attention back to the rest of the class.

 I shifted so that my back was to Cook. As I tried to take notes, I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that someone was watching me. The feeling kept getting more and more intense. I did a quick scan of the room and quickly found the culprit: the rebellious-looking girl from this morning.

Time flew by. Before I knew it, the bell rang and I began to pack up my things. I wasn’t even halfway through my first day of school and already I longed to be back in Canada, with normal people. As Cook got up to leave his arm brushed across the area of my back that my dress left exposed. I shivered, not knowing why. I waited until he was about 10 steps away before pulling on my coat.

“Hi, I’m Freddie,” I heard from behind me “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“It’s Zyeleika, but most people just call me Zye.”  

“Beautiful name. Did they assign you a locker?” 

“Oh, thanks. And no, they didn’t.”

“There’s an empty one beside mine. D’you have a lock?” 

“Ya, it’s somewhere in my bag.”

“Alright. It’s this way.”

I followed Freddie through the hallway in silence… admiring him… there was something about the way that he moved – so fluid and light – it didn’t seem to suit him at all. 

“Here it is.” He said opening the locker for me.

“Thank you,” I said sliding off my coat.

“So, let’s see your schedule then.”

Embarrassed I reached into the pocket of my coat and handed him an origami swan. I couldn’t quite decipher the look on his face as he took it and began to unfold it.

“I make swans when I’m anxious…” I said too quickly, trying to break the awkward silence.

He nodded and smiled faintly. “It’s cool. It’s not as uncommon as you think.” He cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair as if wiping out the words that were going to come out next. “Your next class is Chemistry. My friend J.J.’s in that class. I’ll see if he can walk you there. I would do it myself, but I have Calc upstairs and I really can’t be late.”

“You really don’t have to do that Freddie.”

“I promised Angie I’d help you get around today, I’m going to keep that promise.”

I smiled, then turned back to putting my things in my locker. 

“What took you so long mate?” Freddie called over my shoulder.

“Sorry, I got distracted. I was in the library looking at pictures of the solar system. What a magnificent planet we live on. Don’t usually remember it because of all the shit going on but it is beautiful.”

I giggled, he was like a babbling child.

“Oh, sorry. Where are my manners? I’m J.J. You’re an American, aren’t you?”

“I’m Canadian. My name’s Zye.”

“Nice to meet you. Freddie’s text says that we have Chemistry together.”

I smiled at J.J. I liked his energy.

“Not that type of Chemistry of course. I mean, we hardly know each other. Though I mean you are a rather attractive young lady but then there are so many other variables associated with two people being attracted to each other like whether or not you actually find me attractive and what your preferences are - ”

“J.J!” Freddie yelled.

“Oh, sorry. I got locked on, didn’t I?”

Freddie nodded.

“Sorry Zye, I just get over-stimulated sometimes. What were we talking about again?

“Chemistry.”

“Right, Chemistry. Right, this way my good lady!” J.J. exclaimed with a grin.