chapter 52

"Do you need me to pack you some lunch?" Mom ask, standing before me with her hands on my shoulders. 

"No she don't." Lilith yells from the living room while she search for her missing Calculus textbook as Christian said. 

"I'll be okay mom." I assure her with a genuine smile. She has being worried about my sudden change of environment. Mostly because I've been attending all girls religious school and now I'm going into the real world of teenagers.

Smiling, she kisses my cheeks and skeptically narrowed her eyes contemplating whether I'm being honest or ersatz. "Mom seriously, I'll be okay." I giggle. 

Mom and Christian were all dressed ready for work. When Christian is a successful engineer—my mom's a doctor, she works in a particular private hospital in Summerlin. 

"I'm gonna take it from here, I'd say I will be her guardian angel but she's a grown ass sophomore." Lilith says tugging on my arm while we walk backwards to the door, i can see she's found her missing book. 

Christian clears his throat and shoot Lilith a warning glare while my mom blushes. "Sorry for the language." Lilith grimace and turn us around after slamming the entrance door.  

"We have to branch to falling water to pick Quinn, her car's still with the mechanics." Lilith apprise when we left the hills guard gate. 

"So this is your car?" I ask her what I've been meaning to ask for long. 

She connect her phone with the car and play on one of my favorite girl band song, with a sigh she replied. "My earlier birthday present, ta-da."

"Are you even legally old enough?" I firmly ask.

"Why are you so obsessed with legal stuffs?" She fires back.

"Because that's what is right." I confusedly answer her silly question.

"You don't want to say that at school, avoid that by all means, it's a social life destruction." She laughs while I stare at her unbelievable. "I'm serious Ava, don't." She faces me with a serious expression after she park by the side of a residential street, before I could protest, the back door opens. 

"Hey bitch." A penetrating voice says behind me, that I had to turn to find a slim teenage girl with long hair blonde and blue eyes. 

"Yo whore." Lilith reply.

Feeling unease about the situation I turn to Lilith. "What? Your dad is going to..." 

Her definite fake spluttering coughs was loud while she shoot me a murderous glance which stops me from concluding my sentence, Lilith smiles back to Quinn I believe. "This is my dad's fiancé's daughter, actually already sister. Ava." Lilith introduces me. 

"Hey Ava, mind if I call you a hoe?" Quinn ask and I promptly began to shake my head in disgust until another murderous glare pours through me.

With slack shoulders. I smile small and nod. "Cool." 

"Sad that Zachary and Sofia had broken up, I'm so afraid for Embry because we all know where Sofia's target is." Quinn says.

"Oh believe me I will kill that fake psycho if she attempt hitting on my bro, I'm rooting for Leibry all the way this semester." Lilith says.

"Is gonna blow up, senior and junior just like mal and Allen last year, i can't even begin to imagine, Embry has waited for this her whole life. we have to pursue our girl forward before Sofia does." 

"Yeah absolutely because I can't imagine having a family dinner with that evil." Lilith groan.

I was completely oblivious of what they're saying only I know that Leigh is involve in the plot, so I blurt out. "Or maybe you should let Leigh decide for himself."

I feel their both eyes on me but none of them argue. I was silent the rest for the ride while I ignore their rumors and focus on the little mix songs playing on the background until we arrive to the crowded parking lot of the huge school. 

from the passenger seat I observe the front building. extremely nervous as different kids wanders around. Well mom is right this is tough. 

With sweaty palms i swallow. "It will be fun." Lilith says. "Come let's go." She smiles at me. Maybe she senses my fidget feeling or she knew it will happen. either way I'm glad to have her beside me. 

I managed to pull myself together physically at least  and step outside the door. I didn't realize Quinn leaving the car until I spot her around some girls, while she melt in some boy arms between a black Jeep and red ford coupe. I follow Lilith smile as she approaches what I believe her group of friends. 

"Hello bitches and sluts." Lilith says in a singing voice, feet's away from the gang. 

"Omg did you hear what happened this weekend." A redhead girl exclaim. 

"I know right, we'll discuss private, no boys code. Harry, Quinn can you please pause the PDA and continue later." Lilith giggle at the couple who care less about the location.

"No." The guy I believe is Harry manage to say between kisses while Quinn giggle like a baby floating in water.

The redhead grabs Quinn by her dress, forcefully breaking the make-out session. "Let's do it the hard way, then." She says the same time Quinn an Harry mutter. "What the fuck." 

Lilith and a black America girl in leather trouser and attractive curly hair were laughing on something I didn't find funny. My eyes process the four girls around me in high class outfits while I mentally review myself in my dotted ruffle trim skirt and graphic tee shirt so I immediately accept the position of outcast since a car don't have a fifth wheel, I peaceful agree the fact that I'm not going to fit in this group of superior friends. 

"Lilith, tell me this year is mine." The redhead faces my soon to be stepsister.

"That's what we have to plan." Lilith answers.

"What if Leigh isn't over Hailey?" The curly haired girl question her group of friends.

"Oh then I will kill you for jinxing it." Seeming affected, the redhead annoyingly retaliate.

"What? I'm weighing the both sides here, Embry." The curly haired girl roll her eyes.

Still frowning, Quinn added. "Embry stop overreacting, no one here is your rival... I have class in the next five." 

Embry is taller and slim than all the girls, her red hair was slick and shiny, she is no lie beautiful but definitely obnoxious and obsessive. 

"Sorry I'm just afraid someone will grab him before me, Sofia is a senior, they'll have classes together. Lord of hell why did Zachary had to break up with her." Embry groans.

With widen eyes Quinn and the rest of the girls unison "what." . "Okay, i will take two before I go to class." Quinn says looking so intrigued at whatever hint Embry mention.

I begin to realize the girls are really good at  gossiping, I scan the hallway with busy kids wandering around lockers. "I thought Sofia broke up with him." Lilith ask. 

"She's actually lying, he found out her left boob is bigger than the right." Embry snort.

"I told you, I told you... that's what I figured at Layla's pool party." The curly haired girl hushes. "The right was a blueberry size and the left was a big coconut."

That's when I laugh out unintentionally the same time the girls burst into laughter as they all say. "No way." "What the fuck Suri." "Girl you're so wicked." 

"Who are you?" Embry firmly ask, eyeing me curiously when her eyes finally notice my present. "You've been following us." 

"I'm Ava." I squeak due to the sudden attention of everyone on me.

"Shit—girls, sorry. Remember I told you my dad fiancé's daughter will be joining us here. So here she is." Lilith smiles at me. "She's the coolest kid I know." She wink.

They all stare at me for some seconds, I guess trying to find something wrong about me while I gnaw on my bottom lip. "Alright I've already met you hoe, we rode together. So see you bitches and sluts at lunch." Quinn stalk away. 

"two Leigh siblings in the school huh?." Embry mutter.

"I'm Suri, I like your accent, you should talk often." Suri smiles at me.

"Yes I know right, she's adorable." Lilith wrap her hands over my shoulder. "I've gotta show Ava to her class so see y'all later." She append and gladly help me out of the event that I most likely wouldn't survive. 

We cut corners and followed a path that lead us to the administration section. "I thought we're going to class." I ask.

"I remembered it's the principal duty." She smirk.

We sat on a bench waiting for the principal who didn't seem to be appearing anytime soon so I force myself to allow Lilith go to her class since the bell rang minutes ago, she insisted it's okay but I have to be a nice sister and also courageous so i assure her I will be fine just like I told mom. I waited in the administration side for over half an hour fighting between eighty five percent of nervousness and fifteen percent of courage. 

When the principal finally arrives, I introduced myself and he check some of my files, he was kind and polite and even praise my GPA, he ask some woman to accompany me to second floor where my class happen to be located. 

With paper slip in my shaking hand, I step into the class filled with students. The woman introduced me to the male teacher standing by a desk. He study my slip and turn to me with a smile. "Great GPA, you went to all girls catholic boarding school in London?" He says while reading the slip and I wanted to hit him for saying it out loud because I've already heard more than two voices whispering. "Mother superior."  

With a sigh, I turn forward to find an unoccupied space, everyone seems to shoot me dirty glare and that's how I spend the first two classes in frustration. After twenty minutes lunch of no actually feeding with the girls whom keeps addressing me with harlotry names. I move to P.E class were some student and I were ordered to take a run around the football field for being lazy at swimming.

"You're fast." A girl says behind me. 

I turn to find a slim Asian smiling. "I love running." I  reply her while I try to catch my breath in the shorts and tight shirt provided for P.E. 

"Hard to say about everybody here." she laughs and we both look behind us, how the rest collapses on the concrete. 

"I also doubt." I smile. 

"I'm Evie, We're in the same  class." She tells me.

"Good to know, I'm Ava, I moved here recently." 

Smiling, she nod. "Obviously, you seem new around here." She says.  

We discuss for long and I find myself knowing someone new today apart from Lilith friends. Evie even relocated her seat next to me in the last class and I feel a little more better than the past classes although it seems I've gain a nickname for more than ten people had refer me as 'mother superior.' 

It was three when the school bell rang and I gather my notebooks in my backpack and make it through the hallway. I was about to call Lilith when a new message appears on my phone screen from an unsaved number. 

*meet me at the lot.* 

I take that as Leigh, so I shove back my phone in my bag and leave the school building. The lot was packed with people and It wasn't easy to spot a chestnut haired stepbrother. when I did, I wanted to immediately call Lilith and ask the favor of staying with her until after her lessons but it was too late. Leigh eyes found me, he waves until he's sure I'm on my feet to his direction, he is standing in the middle of some group of boys when I come to halt opposite him.

I stand still staring at him without a word as the boys around—eyes pours on me. Leigh study me from my shoes to hair, I guess he's hoping I won't be an embarrassment since I've come to realize he's the most popular person in school, I can see by the way the group of boys looks at him, by the way everyone that passes greets him, by the way all girls blushes gawking at him. "Guys my sister, Ava. And I need to drive her home."  He finally announce, with a shrug. 

The boys didn't say anything to me, only the muscular one among the group that says. "Meet us at the gym, we have practice, big brother." And all the boys laugh while Leigh stalk away without protest, I follow behind him across the other side of the lot until he stop by my surprise and press the key to the unbelievable thing. 

"What is this?" I know what it is, I just don't believe it.

Smiling he opens the door. "A blue tinted carbon fiber chiron of the year." He smirk. I stare at him unbelievable.

"You have this year Bugatti?" I scoff unwillingly. 

"Get in." He politely command and slide into the drive seat without replying me. 

I notice some eyes around the lot peeping on us but I choose to ignore and intensify my focus on the slightly musky background scent in the small space. "Fasten your seatbelt." His voice was deep while he raves the engine and drive away from the school, from the gossipers. i didn't make a sarcasm joke about mom's order, because my eyes were fixed on the the person next to me.

For the first time I get to study him as we sit closer in a small space. His smooth hair is styled to perfection, his adam Apple bulge from his perfectly veiny neck, his flawless nose that I find enticing and when his gaze catches mind, I find his eyes glimmering color of emerald, sparkling in daylight and then he turned his head sideways, they caught the light and played tricks with anything and everything that screamed 'spring.' , i was memorizing his lips when he called my name louder. 

"What?" I let out a breath that I didn't know was there. He must've been talking and I was deep in other world. 

"You okay?" He worriedly asked, crease form on his forehead as he manage to share his attention both on me and the road. "How was your first day." He append.

I look back to the road and press my lips to straight line. "Lilith friends refers to me with prostitution names and my classmates and others addresses me as mother superior. I think so far so good, since no pranks yet." I shrug. 

The car was silent for a while. "Yes, no pranks." He turn to me with a smile that I found very healthy to my sad emotion.  

The rest of the ride was quiet, no music and neither of us brought up a subject to discuss about. i also end up gawking at Leigh Boyce as he focus his concentration on the road until we arrive home. I was about to thank him when he drove way and left me standing on our drive way. 

Way to go Leigh.

.............

"How was your first day?" Christian ask while we eat dinner . 

I napkin my mouth before I answer. "It was mildly exciting, I made friends with someone." 

"Wow that's positive." Mom smile from across the table. She had no idea the percentage of negative but I don't intend to letting her know so I return a smile. 

"Does this someone has a name?" Lilith faces me, she drop her spoon and rise her brow.

A little annoyed at her guts, i huff. "Evie, a sophomore." Emphasizing it out loud.

"Okay because there are some people you don't want to hang around with, they will destroy your reputation." She says and bite on the chicken breast. She has no idea how already my reputation has been crush. again Leigh is skipping dinner today and I guess the family is getting used to it because no one mention it.