Chapter 1

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Could've been a night like any other
One of us has to drive
One of us gets to think

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“I’m coming!” I called from the porch of my parents home as I slipped my other sandal on and ran out to the car parked at the end of our driveway, a bright red Neon, driven by my best friend Gina Michaels.

“Flip flops. To our first post-high school summer party.” I heard her say with a sigh as I opened the door and slid into the passengers seat. I turned to her with a grin and she rolled her eyes. “Only you.”

“Well that does make her unique. Though I would rather die than wear flip flops to this bash.” A voice came from the back and I turned in my seat to see Jessica Dalley, one of our best friends since middle school, sitting behind Gina.

My gaze drifted down to her knees, which were unusually high and pressed up against her chest. “Oh my god.” I laughed, only able to assume what was on her feet. “How tall are your heels?”

“4 and three quarter inches.” she said with a satisfied voice. “I am now 5’6’’.”

“Yeah, until you break your ankle and they have to do re-construction surgery on your feet and you lose two inches off your normal height.” A voice came from the other side of the car and I turned to look behind me and sent a smile at Georgia, the fourth and final girl who made up our tight and crazy group of friends.

“Well I think I would rather be average height for 4 hours than look like a 12 year old walking around the party.” Jessica rolled her eyes and glared at Georgia.

“All you’ll look like now is a 12 year old in ridiculously high heels. What’s the difference?” Georgia cooed in a sarcastically sweet voice, smirking.

Now listening to the two of them, you would assume they were polar opposites… which, well, would be completely true. Jessica had the whole short posh spice style blonde hair - minimum makeup - skirt and sweater good girl thing going for her and Georgia’s hair was a contrasting dyed black with the same color covering her completely all over her body from her old Vans sneakers to her long sleeve black shirt and her painted fingernails. Where Jessica was an extremely petite, barely over 5 foot girl, Georgia was pretty average, besting the other girl by a good half a foot. Not to mention their personalities were like oil and vinegar.

The one thing they did have in common? Well… they were sisters. Twins at that. Born on the same day some 19 years ago and at each others throats ever since.

“Well sorry I wasn’t the lucky one who got the family height gene.” Jessica rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her high knees and setting her chin on them, her face forming a pout.

“Just another fact to add to my growing list that you’re adopted.” Georgia grinned, her lip ring flashing on her face from the street lamps as Gina pulled onto the main road.

“You know something,” Gina‘s voice floated from the drivers seat, glancing in the mirror to stare at Georgia, “It’s usually the ‘I don’t fit in here. I must be adopted.’” she grinned. “But you have it all twisted with the ‘You don’t fit in here, you must be adopted’”

Jessica glared at her twin. “Just proves she lives to torment me.”

“Give it up Jess. The whole world is not out to get you. If anything that should be my line. Being gothic and all.”

The sarcasm in her voice had everyone turning to her and I laughed, spinning in my seat to stare at her. “Oh my god, who called you gothic?”

Georgia rolled her eyes. “Charlie Smith. Came into the shop today and asked if I knew anything about Voodoo. I stupidly asked him why he would come into a bakery and ask me that and he answers me by giving me a once over and then stating, and I quote, ‘Well you’re like all gothic and stuff. Don’t you like do that stuff nightly?’”

Everyone in the car broke out laughing.

“Tell me you hit him.” Gina laughed and then quirked an eyebrow, “Or at least threw one of your moms extra cream donuts in his face.”

Georgia smirked and sat back, settling in her seat more. “Oh no. Me, violent? Never.” She grinned and had Gina stopping extra long at a deserted stop light to turn around as everyone’s eyes focused on Georgia.

“What did you do?” Jessica asked, showing the exact same evil smirk as her sister, the only thing the two had in common which was creepy if you thought about it.

“What makes you think I did anything?” Georgia asked but at our stares just rolled her eyes. “I just scared him a bit.” she shrugged and then smirked again. “I told him he could come by the house and maybe I’d show him some of my ‘voodoo dolls’ and how I had even a one of him.”

Jessica started laughing and shook her head. “And knowing Charlie he believed you.”

I smirked, imagining the scene. Charlie Smith was our high schools golden boy and while he was a pretty smart guy he had a tendency to be so arrogant and self absorbed that he tended to believe things people said without giving it much thought.

In simpler terms, he was as gullible as they came.

“Poor Charlie.” I said in a sympathetic voice that had everyone laughing and I joined in. “You think he’ll be at the party tonight?”

“Hopefully. I wanna ask him about it and see if he goes pale.” Gina grinned as she started down the road again.

“Taking pleasure in your ex’s fear.” Jessica clucked her tongue disapprovingly and Gina grinned.

“Aww, you know we’re friends.” Gina smiled. Her and Charlie had been the clichéd perfect couple through 3 years of their high school careers, deciding to split up before their senior year and had been great friends ever since.

“Tell me before you go up and see him. I want to witness it.” I laughed as I took a rubber band from my purse and grabbed at my dark red hair, pulling it all into a messy bun at the top of my head.

“Good to know I‘m not the only one in jeans” Georgia said, her head leaning forward over my seat to look down at my pants after I tossed my purse under the seat. I glanced down at the jeans I wore, worn in the knees and a black nail polish dot on the corner of the bottom with numerous other stains from years of activity. My favorite pair I just didn’t have the heart to throw away.

Gina groaned as she glanced over at me. “Here I am dressed in a mini and a halter and you are sitting over there in old jeans and a tee-shirt. Jess is back there dressed like a Barbie and Georgia is in her usual ‘black is back’ attire.” she shook her head with a small smile. “I thought we’d change now that we’re graduated. And yet, we still all look like we’re going to the Saturday senior party at Charlie’s. The most mismatched group of girls there.”

“What did you expect to change? We’ve only been out of school for 2 weeks.”

Gina glanced back at Georgia’s question and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. I guess I just can't wait for college. It's time for a change.” she grinned. “And I guess we can start with the party tonight. Our first post high school bash! How are you guys feeling?”

“Excited.” Jess bounced in her seat awkwardly due to her shoes.

“Thrilled.” Georgia drawled out sarcastically.

“What about you, Libby?” Gina nudged me and I glanced at her and smiled.

“Work's been crazy since school got out with all the double shifts. I’m ready to party... but not hard. DD here.” I grinned and her expression matched mine as we stopped at the stop light at the town junction of the two main streets, waiting for it to turn green even though no cars were coming from either way.

A loud radio suddenly over powered ours and Gina reached to click it off as a car pulled up along my side and rolled down it’s window.

“Party!!” Mark Rollins, our classes very own wild child and my next door neighbor, yelled and we all laughed as he bounced in his seat, pretending to jam to his music and holding up some form of a ‘rock on’ sign as he attempted to head bang but nearly hit his head on his steering wheel. We shook our heads in humor as he grinned and turned down his radio until the booming was now just a quiet purr. “You guys are headed up to McAllister’s right?”

“You know it.” Gina grinned at him, the light turning green but neither parties in either car paying attention anymore. “You know if Charlie’s going to be there?” she asked, after glancing in the backseat of Mark’s car and not seeing his best friend there.

“Fucking definitely.” Mark assured and then bounced in his seat again. If there was one thing you could say about Mark, it was that he wasn’t a dull person seeing as though he seemed like he was on a permanent sugar high. “He said he’s driving himself later though. I don’t know. He called earlier, sounded weird.” he added as an after thought and I laughed, hearing the similar amusement fill Gina’s car.

Oh yeah, we knew why he sounded weird.

“Why Gina, you two planning to get back together? Cause you know, I was going to be trying to hit you up since you two are done and it's hit the year mark and all…” Mark grinned in his most charming way, leaning an arm out his car window and sticking his head out, wiggling his eyebrows.

I laughed. “You hear that Gina? Mark wants you.” I grinned at my best friend as she laughed and then winked at Mark.

“I’m all yours, baby. I just wanted to know is Charlie was going cause I was thinking about hooking him up with Georgia.” she winked secretly at Mark and he started laughing. Everyone who lived in their town knew the relationship between Georgia Dalley and Charlie Smith. They clashed even more than Georgia did with her sister.

“Oh funny, Gina. I’m dying of laugher back here.” Georgia glared from the backseat as we all laughed.

“How you doin', Libby?” Mark asked, bring my attention back to him and I smiled.

“I’m great, Markie.” I grinned, and he matched it at the nickname I’d given him sometime around 6th grade, the only one who ever called him it.

“Great! I’m great. You’re great. Everyone’s great!” He cheered, shifting to lean forward and glance up at the stop light which had turned red again and I saw not only his backseat was filled with guys but his passengers seat was taken up also but I couldn’t recognize who it was. “You all planning on getting wasted tonight?”

“Except me. I’m the designated driver.” I showed him an exaggerated pout, knowing it was my turn to drive everyone home. The four of us had been taking turns as a rule we had had since starting sophomore year.

“Well I’m having my brother pick us all up later,” he said, obviously referring to his 17 year old little brother who had just gotten his license and was obviously automatically volunteered to be his older brothers designated driver. “Parties are always fun when you get plastered Lib-Lib, you go as crazy as I do.”

“And that’s a good thing?” I laughed.

“Hell yeah it’s a good thing!” He nodded enthusiastically. “Isn’t she great when she’s drunk, man?” He said, turning to whoever was in his passengers seat and hitting their arm to get their attention.

“Yeah. Great.” The deep voice rumbled and even over the quiet music still coming from Mark's car I recognized the voice and an unwanted chill passed through my body and I could literally feel my heart speed up on it’s own accord.

“Told ya.” Mark grinned as the person in the passengers seat leaned forward to stare out Mark's window, his eyes meeting mine instantly, a smirk painted on his lips.

“How you doing Lib?” he asked, his eyes traveling over my face and I couldn’t force myself to look away from the swirling green of his eyes, shining bright in the dark car.

“Oh, man.” Mark said, “You didn’t know Wes was back?” He asked when he saw my expression and then laughed. “Dude, this is gonna be one hell of a night!” He said and then literally howled like a dog when the light turned green. “I’ll see you ladies there! Look for me Gina!” he winked.

The bright green eyes seemed to twinkle at me and then I caught a quick wink before Mark turned his music up to blasting point again and stepped on the gas, flying down the road.

“I didn’t know…” Georgia said, sounding as shocked as I felt but had a note of humor in her voice as well.

“Neither did I.” Gina contemplated to herself as I turned to look straight ahead, seeing the lights on the back of Mark’s car fade into the night. “Well, the resident badboy is back.” she grinned. “Can’t wait to find out when this happened.” she laughed as she took off down the same road Mark had just went down.

The bright green eyes stayed in my head as she turned the music back up.

Wes was back. When did this happen? I couldn't believe I didn’t know, I thought angrily as I rolled my eyes.

Our town's very own resident badboy. And when I say that I don’t mean he dressed like Georgia and hated anything breathing. I didn’t mean he went around beating up random people or had his own gang. I didn’t mean that he was just an ass in school or came from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ so was automatically deemed ‘bad’.

That might have been a big thing with other ‘badboys’ but that was just nothing to Wes.

By badboy, I meant he was the cockiest, cruelly honest, blunt- I don’t give a fuck- person you would ever meet. I meant he actually wore a hat that said ‘Blow Me’ and had zero respect for anyone but himself.

He’d disappeared that January after being forced to graduate early from expulsion and hadn’t been heard from since.

Until now apparently, I crossed my arms, getting more annoyed with each passing second.

Gina whistled from the drivers seat and cast a sideways glace at me. “From what I saw, Wes looks better than ever.” She make a ‘mmm’ sound that made me want to cringe.

I rolled my eyes and glared at my mirror. Suddenly not so excited about the party anymore.

Wes was the rudest person you could meet. If he didn’t like you, he’d tell you. He was notorious in our town as the kid who didn‘t know how to stop getting in trouble. He was the guy all the girls had a secret crush on at least once in their lives. He was every parent, teacher, and law enforcements nightmare.

And worst of all… he was my ex-boyfriend.