Chapter 1: Hair Dye         

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Went back home again / This sucks, gotta pack up and leave again

Say goodbye to all my friends / Can't say when I'll be there again

Its time now, I turn around / Turn my back on everything

Turn my back on everything / Everything's changing when I turn around

I'm out of my control / I'm a mobile   -  Avril Lavigne

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She hated strangers. She hated meeting people. So, she hated moving. And her parents gave her less sympathy than an archenemy would have given her. She didn't even have them in her new home town. The only one she could rely on - was herself.

Renacy Holmes cursed her father's promotion as she drove herself to school. She was transferring in the middle of her junior year, which made moving suck even more. Everyone at her school would know each already, already be separated into little cliques. She spotted them just driving school. There was the red convertible driving in front of her, filled with the cheerleader and football player clique. To her left was the van filled with sci-fi nerds. At her old school she had fit in with a group of retro surfers who were really into breaking the waves. But this wasn't her modest California town. This was snobville California, the narcissistic side of the state. The beach, the beauty, and her friends were hours away. Renae filled with disgust every time she passed another mansion. It killed her that her own family was as bad as any of them. The minute her father became the vice-president of his law firm, he moved them to a four story renovated Victorian style house. Renae couldn't save herself from involving herself with the affluence madness of her parents. She was fascinated with history and old stuff. She loved the house. She loved living there.

Suddenly the convertible came to a screeching stop and Renae jammed her feet on the breaks. Unfortunately, it was too late. Her large jeep hit the bumper of the red beauty and crumpled it in an inch of its frame. Cursing, Renae turned the keys in the ignition and shut off the car. Opening the door she stepped out to talk to the unfortunate owner.

"What the hell, bitch?" a tall football player, with short spiked blond hair shouted as he jumped out of the car and came around to meet her. "Look what you did to my fuckin' car!"

Renae's temper flared. It was this loser's fault! He was the one who stopped his car without warning. "Listen, you jerk. If you weren't so busy yukking it up with your cult of bimbos and jocks there, this wouldn't have happened. Who the hell gave you your license? Don't you know that you don't fucking stop in the middle of the road! Maybe you're blind? I don't see no stoplight or stop sign over there." She said, pointing angrily towards the front of this convertible.

The football player reddened but his face only turned angrier. "You whore! I'll make you see lights." He made a movement towards her, as if he was going to hit her. Renae recoiled. One minute he was advancing towards her, another minute, a completely different person was in front of her.

"Chill out, Jake." The shorter player said cheerfully. "This is my fault, I shouldn't have been fooling with you while you were driving." His hair was probably brown but it seemed to be dark enough to pass for jet black. It was messily combed, revealing the careless nature of the boy. Despite that, the guy was breathtakingly hot.

Renae's mouth fell open. Had she just been saved… by a football player? A breathtakingly hot football player? Wait a minute, had she actually found a football player breathtakingly hot?

No! Renae fell for punks, for bad boys, even evil geniuses. But she did not fall for football players.

"Do you want the name of my insurance company or not?" Renae snapped.

The dark haired football player turned around and smiled brilliantly. "That' won't be necessary. I'll pay for the damage." His eyes focused more on Renae as he looked her over, noticing everything from her bleached blond hair to her tan skin. "You're new around here, are you?"

Renae took a quick look at the girls in the car. All blonds. "No." Renae answered flatly, making a vow right there to dye her hair a different color and stay out of the sun until her tan disappeared. She turned around and got back into her car. Before shutting her door she shouted an order at them, "Move your car!"

~

Renae retrieved her schedule from the main office and went to her locker. She was told by the secretary that a girl would meet her there to show her around and help her find her classes, but no one was there waiting for her. Renae waited until the bell rang before she gave up and started looking above at the room numbers over the classroom doors. It took her fifteen minutes before she finally wandered into the right hallway and found her way to C27. She entered the classroom and apologized to the teacher, explaining her difficulty with finding the room. Luckily, Ms. Linds seemed to be pretty understanding. She even took some time after class to give Renae directions to her second period class. Renae's third period teacher was less kind. The science just act annoyed and waved her over to an empty seat in the back of the room. Renae immediately made her way to it, keeping her head down to avoid the eyes of the students of the classroom. They were all looking at her. They had been, all day. A lot people had tried to introduce themselves to her but, Renae had received it all coldly. She didn't want new girl pity.

"Hello again," a voice said to Renae as she sat down. Renae oddly realized that she somehow recognized it and turned to look at the speaker. Her temper flared when she discovered the black haired boy from before school.

"You." Renae accused.

His face showed a look of amusement. "I have a name you know."

"Satan?"

The boy laughed loudly and everyone in the class turned around to look at him.

"What's so funny Trent?" one of his bimbo friends asked.

"I'm glad you're enjoying Ms. Homles' company so much Ashwire." Mr. Jacobs said crossly. "Perhaps from now on you should aid her in getting to class on time."

"What?" Renae asked in disbelief.

Trent raised his eyebrows at looked at Renae with a smile. He didn't seem to have any objections. "Let me get this straight, Mr. Jacob. You want me to walk Renacy to class, every day?"

"That's right. Now pipe down and start writing notes."

Renae glared at Trent. "Forget it," she told him.

"You heard him, Renacy, he ordered me to walk you to class."

"How the hell do you even know my name?" Renae demanded.

"I've heard about you. That's all," Trent said, smiling mischievously once more before he turned his head back towards the front of the class and started writing notes.

After class, Renae caught up with Trent as left the science room. "What did you hear about me?" she asked.

"Well, well. Mr. Jacobs told me to walk you before class, but I suppose I could walk you around after as well." Trent said conceitedly, as if him walking anyone to class was something most girls could only dream of.

"Are there rumors about me already?" Renae hissed.

Trent halted suddenly and turned to her. "No," he said softly. "No. I'm sorry. I was lying, I knew your name because I heard you tell it to Jacobs."

"Oh." Renacy said. She blushed and looked at the floor to avoid Trent's eyes.

"Why would you think that there would be rumors?" he asked.

"I didn't," Renae lied, not wanting to go into the fact that everyone at her old school had thought that she and her group were bad news because they supposedly did coke and ecstacy in their free time. Renae barely even drank alcohol! It all started because one person who hadn't liked them had something that everyone else stupidly believed. She didn't ever want it to happen again. She could still remember seeing the distrust in her parents' eyes. Renae never knew that her parents had such little faith in her! It had been that moment that turned around the parental-daughter relationship completely. The stupid rumors were also probably why her parents were so eager to move her out of her old school. It was so unfair!

"Where's the cafeteria?" Renae asked Trent.

"Say please." Trent answered.

"Please, asshole." Renae said.

Trent laughed. Renae couldn't help liking it when she made him laugh. "It's completely out of my way, but I guess I could make myself late in order to help you. Jacobs ordered it on me an all."

Trent grabbed Renae's hand and guided her around the school. A few minutes later they were in front of a set of double doors. "That's the cafeteria. I'll see ya later!" he said quickly before he ran off. Renae guessed that his classroom must have really been far way then. She felt guilty for making him late. Maybe tomorrow she would try to be nicer to him.

Renae made her way to the doors and pulled them open. She screamed at what she saw right in front of her. A gorgeous guy with long tied back golden hair… in his boxers.

~

The other guys turned around and hooted as they spotted Renae. She quickly shut the doors and read its sign. The boy's locker room? She was going to KILL Trent! Trying hard to keep the tears of embarrassment contained, Renae shuffled away but before she got far the locker room doors opened and the kid with the long blond hair appeared, this time dressed in clothes.

"Wait," he called to Renae. Renae turned around only because she knew she had to apologize.

"I am so unbelievably sorry. This jerk told that that was the cafeteria and I was too stupid to read the door to make sure and I…I'm so sorry."

"It's no problem." the boy laughed. "Let me help you out. I'll take you to the real cafeteria." Renae gave him a distrusting look.

"I swear I won't trick you! I wanted to skip gym anyway. If I help a new student, at least I'll have some kind of excuse, right?"

"Okay…" Renae said uncertainly. "How can everyone immediately tell that I'm a new student." Renae asked as they walked down the hall together.

"We all know each other pretty well." The boy answered. "Most of us have been together since elementary school." Renae reminisced sadly that her old school had been the exact opposite. It had been so large that a new face everyday was expected.

If rumors could spread so fast there, what could happen here – in a school with a such small student body?

~

After school, Renae was surprised to find a girl waiting for her at her locker. Not just any girl, but a goth. She had short hair died black. Her face was covered in dark purple and black lipstick and eye shadow. Her clothing consisted of long black boots, shorts and a tight top complimented with a multitude of chains and jewelry. Renae had seen a lot of goths at her old school, she had always been fascinated with their style. Some of them loved old fashioned clothing. The other clothes were cool too. Renae would die for the chance to get away with wearing chains and the spiked jewelry but she had always been afraid that the real wiccans would disdain her for trying to look like them. She'd never really talked to one of them before, they were never in any of her classes.

But here was one in front of her locker.

"You Renacy?" she asked Renae coldly.

"Uh… yes." Renae said with hesitance.

"The name's Jade." The girl said. "Jade Evans."

"Oh." Renae said. Suddenly she recalled the name the secretary had giver that morning. "Oh! You were supposed to show me around this morning."

"I know. I'm sorry about that. Actually, my boyfriend came around and I hardly get to see him anymore because he's um…" Jades voice trailed off. Renae looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish. "He's spent a little time in Juevy. But he's totally sweet. And today was his first day out but I didn't find out till last night. I volunteered to show you around weeks ago but I really wanted to see him. You don't mind do you? Not that I'd care if you do mind. But, you know, I'll make it up to you."

Renae blinked. Then, her face broke out into a smile. She might have had just made a new friend. "You can show me around tomorrow, instead of today. And, you know – if you don't mind, you could tell me what you use to dye your hair."

Jade raised her eyebrows before she smiled back. "I'll take you to Hot Topic. C'mon."
           

~

Renae and Jade were at the mall, at Renae's new favorite store. It was filled with gothic jewelry and sarcastic punk t-shirts. Renae spotted one medieval looking gown hanging in the back of the store, near the ceiling, and practically started drooling.

"You should get it." Jade said.

Renae looked at her and shook her head. "No way. It's way too expensive."

"If you're living in this town, you can't be too tight on cash." Jade pointed out.

"Huh?" Renae said. Suddenly remembering her father's promotion, she realized Jade was right. She grabbed the black hair dye and went over to the counter. "I want this dye and that dress," she said pointed to beautiful gown.

As they waited for the workers to take it down Jade asked Renae about her impression of the school.

"I dunno." Renae said. Yet, she answered specifically next. "Everyone seems to know each other and I feel like I'm invading everyone's territory by coming into the school. They give off this bad vibe." Renae said as she remembered the way the cheerleaders had looked at her when she crashed in Jake's convertible. "But there are some really hot guys which is cool." Renae added in as she thought of that long blond hair boy form the locker room, and less eagerly – of Trent.

"Hot guys?" Jade asked. "You kidding me? I always thought everyone was butt ugly. My boyfriend's from the city."

"Oh." Renae answered.

"But, whatever. You're entitled to your own tastes." Jade said smiling. Renae grinned back. "Anyone specific?"

"I don't know one of their names… but he has long blond hair, and he's gorgeous. Ugh, absolutely. And he's so nice." Then Renae rolled her eyes, "And then there's Trent."

Jade stared at Renae for a full minute silently, before she doubled over in laughter.

"What? What's so funny?" Renae asked.

"Honey," Jade answered through laughs. "Trent is bi, and his boyfriend – is that other blond haired kid that you think is so gorgeous."