Chapter One- New Digs

“What the hell is this stuff?” said a medium height, brown haired, blue-eyed girl around the age of 17.

“I wouldn’t know. Maybe we can get Ms. Smithson to dissect it, and put it in a projection light microscope.” responded a disgusted tall, black haired, brown-eyed girl, approximately the same age.

The two laughed, and walked out the cafeteria doors of Daniel Adams Senior High in Los Angeles, California. Deciding to sit in a secluded area of the courtyard, they sat down and ate.

“So Cleo, is there anything new in the Patia household? Dad’s work going alright?” asked the shorter. “No,” Cleo, the taller, responded, “No, but I really wish he did. All he does nowadays is sulk around the study. Another reason I want him to get a good dig is so we seniors can have a class trip. Well not a class trip, but like a small ‘select few’.”

The two girls, Cleo Patia and Evilyn Patton, discussed their idea for a few minutes until one of their best friends, Beatrice Parker came running up to them.

“Cleo! Evi! Jeez, where have you been? I’ve been waiting by the door for you, and don’t make me tell you how many creepy guys passed by.” Bea was slightly out of breath and red in the face.

A funny smile flashed across Cleo’s face. She was a funny, caring, but also slightly mysterious girl. She was beautiful, tall with chin length black hair, tan skin, and amber brown eyes. Many of the boys at Daniel Adams Senior High liked her, but she did not return her emotions.

Evilyn Patton, though Evi was what she liked to be called, was on of Cleo’s best and most trust worthy friends. Cleo wasn’t one to trust many, but Evi never told a secret if given instructions not to. She was of medium stature, long brown hair, and hazel eyes. Being very intelligent, but also accused of being obsessive-compulsive is what made Evi, Evi. Even though she may have looked perfect on the outside, the girl on the inside was wacky and playful.

If people thought Evi was compared to the North Pole, Beatrice Parker was on the South Pole. Bea was a sprightly young knave, as she referred to herself, was always happy. Being one of Cleo’s best friends, she always donated logical answers to Cleo’s random questions. Given enough sugar, this medium blond was perfectly calm until the sweets got to her brain. Bea was one whom would sit in front of a computer for long periods of time, doing something random, and then attack it if it was malfunctioning.

The last of the fantastic four was Riana Kipling. She was the newest addition to the bunch, coming from Florida her freshman year, and became the three other girl’s best friend fast. At their school, also known as DASH, Ria was the odd girl out. She was a spunky, short black haired girl who loved to talk and make jokes. Many of the four’s favorite inside jokes came from Ria. Being loathed by the so-called “preps” at their school, Ria loved to taunt them by adding them into any story that popped into her head, and had some terrible thing happen. She found it as a comic “public humiliation”.

“Well, I guess I’m just in time to eat with you guys. I thought I wouldn’t be able to find you.”

Bea took a seat next to Cleo and opened the brown paper bag containing her lunch. “Ugh, peanut butter and jelly sandwich, again. “Fourth day in a row, eh Bea?” snorted Evi.

Eventually, Ria skipped over to the table, and plopped her small body down next to Evi. “Hi guys, sorry I was late. Stupid fart who calls himself a teacher of History said I wasn’t paying attention again. I gave him a piece of my mind.” She raised a small fist in the air and shook it. The other three laughed at their friend, and they continued to eat their lunches, discussing past boyfriends of Cleo, one including a boy named Michael. He was the only guy that Cleo had liked who wasn’t blond and blue eyed.

“Sho,” asked Evi with a mouthful of the day’s meat surprise, “what did you guys do last night?”

Cleo swallowed and responded quickly, “Nothing much, but I stayed up and finished Harry Potter five for my, I think, one hundred and first time.” “Sheesh, Cleo,” grunted Evi, “could you get any more obsessed? You are stuck in a swirling cloud of Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, and who’s the other guy again?”

Evi tapped her head and thought for a few seconds. When the name came to her, the other three decided to blurt out at the same time for fun, “Remus Lupin!” Evi frowned, and crossed her arms across her chest and made a funny ‘hmph’ sound. Cleo, Bea, and Ria just laughed hysterically at their angered friend. The only thing that brought them back to sanity was the sight of an unfamiliar face.

A tall, dark haired and fair skinned boy walked up to the girls, and with a abnormally thick New York accent asked, “Hi, could you tell me where the office is. I’m kinda new.” For some odd reason, Cleo’s jaw dropped at this handsome young man in front of her.

“It’s…it’s…” was all she managed to say before Evi, who was very directive, said, “Go through the doors over there, take a left down the blue hallway, then when you hit the grey hallway, take a right and the office should be there. You can’t miss it, unless you are blind. Oh, by the way, if you don’t mind me asking, who are you?”

The boy grinned, and said “Anthony Marco, but my friends called me Tony.”

In a clockwise motion, the girls said their names: Beatrice or Bea, Evi or Evilyn, Riana or Ria, and when Cleo’s turn came, she couldn’t say it.

Ria decided to take charge and said, “Oh, this is our friend Cleo. She’s currently discombobulated, but if you catch her later, maybe you two can talk.”

The boy nodded slightly, and he walked off in search of the office. Cleo, who returned from her dream state managed to say a few words. “Wow…he looks so familiar for some reason.” The others laughed and finally finished their lunches.

Later that day in their 7th period Physics class, the teacher called them to silence.

“Ladies and Gents, we have a new senior today, Anthony Marco.”

A murmur flew through the room, until the professor shushed them.

“Mr. Marco, tell us about yourself.”

Tony cleared his throat and started off with, “Well, you can call me Tony. Um, I’m from New York City, from the Little Italy part of town”

Instantly, the oddest question arose, and a boy in the back of the room asked, “Is your family part of the Italian mafia?”

Tony chuckled slightly, and shot a nervous glance around the room. “It was a long time ago, but not anymore. My family is pretty normal now.”

He finished his speech, and was direct to the back of the class, directly next to Cleo. Cleo gulped hard, and looked over to her friends. Tony parked himself to the left of Cleo. To Cleo’s right was Carla Walton, the preppiest girl Cleo knew.

The teacher started the lesson, which Cleo quickly tuned out of, and she decided to flick pieces of paper at the back of Evi’s head. What she got in return was the silent finger. Cleo snorted, and shifted her gaze over to Carla. She had a look of disgust on her countenance.

“What do you want, nerdwad?” snarled Cleo quietly.

“Nothing that pertains to you,. Who are you calling a nerd?” said Carla a little to loud, loud enough for the teacher to hear.

“Ms. Walton, you have just landed yourself in detention. Now take notes like Ms. Patia.”

Cleo snickered, then let out a small gasp when Tony, who she had forgotten about, slipped a note under her hand. Cleo grabbed the piece of paper, and opened it. Inside was scrawled:

Hey, I’m really bored right now. Don’t let that bitch bug you. She’s just teeming with those parasites for trouble.

Cleo snorted again, but then let out a yelp when the stupid fake blond snatched the note from Cleo’s hands.

Carla raised her hand smugly and said, “Sir, Cleo and Tony were passing notes.”

The teacher called for the note, flustered, and threw it in the trash can. “You two receive detentions, making today a great time for the senior class of 2005. Alright, which of you think it’s a good idea to leave this till tomorrow?”

The class hooted and hollered and got up to mingle with each other. Cleo walked over to her friends, and took an empty chair and sat down.

“Why me? Why bloody me?!” She let out an exasperated cry, and buried her head in her arms and fake cried. Bea rolled her eyes, but in a sweet voice said, “Don’t worry pookie, it’s not like it’s your first high school d-ten!”

Cleo muttered from under her arms, “Doesn’t help, Bea.”

Evi patted her on the back, while Ria hummed a tune from a new rock group they found named ‘Jackal’s Staylanch’. Eventually the four of them hummed the tune and sang the chorus. They laughed for a while until Tony came over and stood behind Cleo.

“Hey girls,” he said with his thick accent.

“Go away you ass. You’ve caused me enough grief for one day. Why don’t you go bugger off, and find someone else to ruin their life?” snarled Cleo.

Tony looked at Cleo quizzically and decided to take their conversation further. “Bugger off? What the hell does that mean?” Cleo rolled her eyes and retorted, “That means, Tony, if you don’t go away, I’ll find you and pound you with a soccer ball.” Ria mumbled to herself, “And she does kick pretty damn hard.”

Before Tony or Cleo could react, the bell rang for the end of the school day. Cleo walked out of the classroom and to her locker to get her things.

Cleo was pissed later that day because she had to miss soccer practice for detention. She had also forgotten the two idiots, Carla and Mr. New York, were in her detention today. Cleo pulled out a CD player and stuck in a rock CD, turning the volume up high enough to not have to hear anything around her. She took a seat at the very back of the classroom, and closed her eyes.

Thirty minutes later, taking off her headphones, Cleo left the room in a slight hurry, but didn’t make it to the door in time because Tony caught her by the arm and whispered into her ear, “I’m really sorry. Will you forgive me?”

Cleo gazed into his eyes, and thought for a few mintues.

“You really think after all the crap that’s happened today, that I’ll let you off the hook? Well hate to break it to ya, babe, but too bad. Welcome to Los Angeles California. Things aren’t what they are like in New York. Better get used to it.”

Tony let go of her arm and let her walk off in a huff down the hallway. As she walked away, she mused to herself, ‘OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! I think he likes me! I think it’s a pretty good start, but I have to check with the other mad scientists before I begin a new experiement.’

As she became a distant figure, Tony thought to himself, ‘Wow, she seems really nice at times, then other times out to get me. Does she like me? Nah, doubt it. Most California girls wouldn’t dig guys like…me.’

Did you like it? Hopefully you did. I may change my mind and post the beginning of chapter two, if I feel nice. Did you catch the place where I implied something MYSTERIOUS about our little New Yorker friend? He, he, he…

Blessed be,

Evi