---- Leo ----
I shook my head as I watched Cliff take off in his old 1987 Honda Civic. I didn't understand the guy. He owned an amazing black Honda CBR1100XX Metallic-Titanium-bird, one of the nicest bikes I'd ever seen, and yet he insisted on driving his six hundred dollar car to school. I didn't understand it. It boggled my mind. I knew he used his motorcycle, I could always hear him start it up before he took off to who knew where in the middle of the night. He loved the thing, yet it was almost as if he wanted it a secret from the rest of the student population. I shook my head again. If I were him and I could ride a bike that well, I would have been more than glad to ride the thing to school, but maybe he was just worried about it getting wrecked or something, the thing was like his life. I sighed, Cliff was the same age as me, only he had failed last year, which boggled me because I knew he was brilliant, borderline geek, minus the geek. I smiled as I watched Mary walk away from our large house. She had decided to take the bus, as she claimed the bus put her on equal ground with the others and that she had made some friends on it and wanted to talk to them. Personally I thought she was crazy, but then again, she was a girl and girls tended to view cars differently than guys did. I threw my book bag into the passenger seat of my glossy black Ford Mustang GT with its two, bright white stripes down its center. I climbed in and smiled as it roared to life. Everyone in our family owned a nice ride, there was just something about having a nice car with speed to go with it.
When I got to school I nodded to a couple of the people I had met the other day. I had already signed up for the football team, I knew that there was only a month left of school, and that they probably wouldn't change players now, but I could at least get some practice in, and if I proved myself to be good enough I could get on the front line. I already had a football scholarship so I wasn't all that worried, but getting a few more never hurt anyone. I clasped hands with some of the other football players I had met and eyed the one that had a black eye warily. I hadn't seen him yesterday, but I knew from the description a few people had given me that he was the quarterback for the team, John Rogers. Normally I don't judge people, but something about him instantly made me dislike him, and it wasn't the black eye. He just seemed sleazy to me. I shook the feeling off and shook his hand, wondering who he had gotten the eye from.
---- Raven ----
I had woken up early, knowing that I would have to force my brother into giving me a ride. It wasn't that he didn't want to be seen with me, it was more like he didn't want me in his car. His car was more important than my life as he like to put it. His car was his baby. Our mom made quite a lot of money, but not enough to buy Nick his own Shelby Cobra if she still wanted to keep up a steady flow of additions to her hefty wardrobe. Nick had bought the car on his own. When out grandfather had died he had left a substantial sum of money to my mom, Nick, and I. While Nick had used his money to buy his car, my money was still sitting in my bank account, hardly touched. I had no need for a car, driving terrified me. I didn't like being behind the wheel, being in control of a hunk of metal that tended to lead towards the ditch or other cars while I was driving. Sure, if someone else is driving I'm fine, but I'd rather not literally take my life into my own hands, thank you very much. But Nick didn't like me in his car because I didn't have the same respect for it that he did, not to mention that our tastes in music differed tremendously. Or, more to the point, the way I constantly changed stations because I have eccentric tastes in music annoys him to death. Not to mention that I tended to sing along and my voice is one of those ones that shouldn't be heard unless you want to bust your eardrums. Plus, I'm always running late, and I'm 'uncool'.
But Nick isn't that bad, and he does know that Jeremy Renolds is a complete ass and that the guy keeps pestering me. He won't beat him up -not that I can't handle the little weasel- because Jeremy is popular and that wouldn't go over so well, considering that their 'good acquaintances' as my brother puts it, but he will help me avoid the bugger. And so I got a ride, and a promise that he would drive me to and from school for the remainder of the week. My day was going pretty good compared to the day before. Maybe it was because I had had time to make myself a cup of coffee that morning. Coffee made the world go round. Seriously. Or, at least, my world. I was sort of, okay, scratch that. I'm a caffeine addict. No coffee, no happy Raven. Not that I was ever that happy, but at least I didn't normally snap at everyone and everything unless they deserved it or made the mistake of talking to me. Coffee helped me keep clam, it was like my anti-social drug, it made people seem less like targets and more like bugs that you just wanted to avoid at all costs.
My day perked up even more when it turned out that Jeremy had caught the flu and was home puking his guts out, poor guy. NOT! I hoped he stayed home, and I hoped he suffered. He was after all, the most annoying tumour of society ever created. Maybe I should always get up early to make sure I have time have coffee…But wait, that means less sleep right? Nope, scratch the losing ten minutes of sleep everyday. Even coffee can only go so far, and having less sleep on a regular basis was worse than going without coffee for a whole year. Nope, I would just have to find a way to make the coffee machine spew out my coffee faster. Maybe if I threatened to tell the toaster that the coffee machine had cheated on it with the food processor?
---- Sean ----
School had been, well, school. And I had a ton of homework that I was planning on half assing my way through; it probably wasn't even for marks. I couldn't remember, most of my day had been spent assuring my new place in Nick's ever so popular crowd. There was one thing I had noticed however, Nick was somehow the most popular guy, but not because he had the right friends and paid attention to the right people, more just because of whom he was. The guy usually sat with only a few people at lunch, but I think everyone in the whole school took the time to stop over and say hello. Anything he said or suggested was automatically thought of as right or cool. It was amazing, he was popular, yet seemed to be almost outside of the vicious cycle that was popularity. But then again, that might have just been my imagination because when he sat beside his girlfriend Alicia, he looked like a timeless classic and she looked like the latest fad. When I had finally met Alicia, I couldn't help but agree with Nick's sister. The girl was just plain whiny. She lacked a personality like lettuce lacked flavour. But, I didn't really know Nick all that well, and I had no idea why he was dating her, but I did know that Nick's friends didn't like her any more than I did upon meeting her.
The drive home had been relaxing, and I was only home for about an hour or so. I was headed over to the ice rink at five. Yesterday I had met up with Nick and their coach had told me to just practice with the others and two hours later I was officially part of the team. It hadn't been all that hard, I had played hockey since I was little, and it was just something I had talent for. When I got inside Mary surprised me by hugging me tightly and giving me a dazzling smile. I was instantly wary. Usually that meant that she wanted something that I wasn't going to give her without a fight.
"Thank you, Sean."
I just stared at her, I hadn't done anything so what the hell was she talking about?
"What?"
She frowned a little, looking at me like I was crazy. Me, crazy, when she was the one that just said thank-you out of nowhere for no apparent reason.
"You remember don't you, Sean? Yesterday, you talked to that weird girl, right? She wasn't on the bus yesterday afternoon or today either, so I'm saying thank-you."
I frowned at her. Yes, I had talked to Raven, but I doubted very much that anything I had said would make her not take the bus. Then I recalled that she had gotten a ride with Nick.
Suddenly, I saw Cliff walk in. I waved absently to him and he nodded his head briefly in return.
"Mary. The only reason Raven wasn't on the bus yesterday was because she caught a ride with her brother. And I'm pretty sure she did the same today, she'll probably be on the bus next week."
Mary looked terrified, I couldn't see why, though. Raven looked like a twig. She wasn't exactly all that scary, a little intimidating sure, but Mary was just being silly.
"But wh-y?" I winced as Mary whined. She dragged out the 'y' at the end of why like a little kid, and made it high pitched, it hurt the ears.
"I don't know, Mary. Something about some guy named Jerry, or Jeremy being on the bus this week I think."
Mary pouted and I nearly hit the roof when I jumped at Cliff's laugh.
Both Mary and I turned disbelievingly in Cliff's direction. He was…laughing. I hadn't heard Cliff laugh in months, maybe even years. He hadn't always been like that, but over the past couple of years he had slowly gotten quieter and stoical. He used to be fun loving, ready to laugh and tease, but now he was just indifferent. Hearing him laugh, and at something I couldn't even place made me worried. It also made me want to know what was so funny so that I might have a chance of making him laugh again. He had been close to everybody at one time, but now the only one he even sometimes talked to for more than a few seconds was Aaron.
"What's so funny Cliff?"
Trust Mary to be blunt. Now he would probably suddenly stop and go all stoic again. Great. But, to my great surprise Cliff actually responded to her question instead of closing off the rest of the world like he usually did.
"It's just, I think it's funny that she would go out of her way to avoid the guy when she was so violent with him yesterday. I would have figured she would just beat him up again. Guess he's more annoying than he looks."
I stared at him. He wasn't making any sense. What 'she'? Mary looked just as dumbfounded as I was. I took a deep breath and hoped that Cliff was still in a talkative mood.
"Who beat who up Cliff?" I could tell that he was starting to retreat, but he answered me anyway.
"That girl Mary was whining about. Raven. It's just that that Jeremy guy seems pretty persistent when it's obvious she hates him. It was just funny how she reacted yesterday is all. Anyway. I'll see you guys later."
And with that he was gone, beck to being silent, back to his own little world. But he had laughed, and he had talked. And all because some anti-social girl was being pursued by some weird guy? It made no sense. Besides, Cliff rarely noticed what went on around him, or if he did, he never commented on it.
I stored it away for later viewing, and turned back to Mary who had a puzzled look on her face.
"I don't get it. He never laughs at any of the jokes people tell, but you talk about that crazy girl and he laughs. I think Cliff is going crazy."
I was tempted to shake Mary, why couldn't she be happy and realize that Cliff had actually talked to us for more than a sentence, and it had been a full sentence, not just a few words. I felt like jumping up and down, but maybe that was because I still remembered how Cliff used to be so full of life. Nobody knew why he no longer was, he had just changed one day.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway Mary, sorry, but I think you're just going to have to deal with Raven. Just stay out of her way next time."
Mary glared at me. Oh, if looks could kill.
"I wasn't in her way in the first place, Sean. It's not my fault that she's crazy and has major issues."
I sighed and ran a hand through my brown locks.
We all had that, brown hair, maybe different shades, but all brown hair, and we all had blue eyes, except for Cliff and Mary. They had green eyes, like out mom's were, whereas our dad had blue eyes.
"Look Mary. I know you didn't do anything, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't anything personal, the girl seemed pretty snarly in general. So just leave her alone and I'm betting that she won't give you any trouble."
Mary pursed her lips but nodded anyway.
"Fine. Whatever. I have to go call Elly anyway; I'll talk to you later."
She twirled and rushed up the stairs, making a bee line for her bedroom, where she would spend hours talking on the phone with Elly. What was with this place and weird names? Elly, Raven, a guy in my chemistry class named Pyron? I shook my head. Cliff and Aaron weren't exactly normal names either, neither was Leo for that matter.
---- Cliff ----
I calmed down as I felt the wind go through me, chilling me. I pushed my bike fasted, loving the thrill that came from being able to push something to higher speeds, being able to temp fate, being in complete control. When I made it onto an empty rode I smiled and pushed my bike even faster, I looked down at the speedometer and pushed the bike even faster. 130 km/h, 140, 150, and then I started to let the bike slow down. I was more relaxed now, and once I was at a legal speed I just drove. It didn't matter where I was headed, just so long as I was going somewhere.
I hadn't meant to laugh. I shouldn't have done it, now they would think I was opening up to them, they would try yet again to get me to be like I had once been. Everyone thought I was crazy for never riding my bike to school, they had questioned my sanity when I had bought my little white civic with more rust than paint. But I didn't care, they didn't get it. Even Aaron who understood me the best didn't understand. I didn't want to stand out, I didn't want to make friends just because I had a cook ride. I just plain out didn't care. And if I had a piece of junk for a car just like the rest of the student population then I felt…normal? I wasn't normal, I knew that, but if I could convince myself that I was normal that was all that mattered.
I hadn't always been stoic, uncaring, or unfriendly. I had once been like the rest of my brothers. Carefree, charismatic, even after our mom had died. But then, one day, a few years ago I just woke up and wondered why I was doing everything I was doing. I didn't really have a reason, and I suddenly just didn't care. I slowly stopped doing the things I usually did. Stopped forcing myself to get along with people so I could be popular, stopped caring what my marks were like, stopped caring if I had a girlfriend. I just stopped. The only thing that I had left was my bike, I had to ride it, and something inside of me needed the feel of in beneath me as I raced through the empty night.
My mind returned to what had forced me to ride faster than the speed limit. I had laughed, I couldn't help it. I had seen the girl, Raven, get hit on by that Jeremy guy in class the day before, and instead of giggling and blushing like I had expected she had kicked him and told him to leave her alone if he still wanted to be called a guy. The memory still made me smile. It had just been so funny, and the look on his face was priceless. But the way the rest of the class had ignored it, which meant that it probably happened often. When Sean and Mary had been talking about her I just had to laugh, the memory had resurfaced. And the fact that Raven hated Jeremy enough to avoid the bus while he was on was also quite funny.
But I shouldn't have laughed. Not that it could be helped now. I would have to avoid the two of them for a few days, or, at least avoid Sean. Mary would just chalk it up to me being crazy, Sean however would think that the girl amused me. Which, she did, but the last thing I wanted was for him to find some way to push me and her together. Sure, she was funny, but I didn't want to get to know her, if it was possible she seemed even more messed up than me.
---- Nick ----
I groaned as the beeping of my alarm clock entered my befuddled dream state. I hit the snooze button and sighed into my pillow. I couldn't go back to sleep though, it was still a school day and if I remembered correctly I had a few questions left in math to do. Great. Note to self, don't leave math until so late again. I shouldn't have spent the whole night talking to Alicia. Or, rather, listening to her talk. She had an unsurpassable ability to talk for hours on end about absolutely nothing. I didn't really like her, at least, not any more.
When we had first started to go out I had though she was amazing, she was always smiling, perfect in every way, hot body, sexy smile, great kisser. But eventually all the glam had worn off and it didn't take me that long to figure out that Alicia was the farthest thing from what I wanted in a girlfriend. She was vindictive, nasty, scheming, and overly-possessive. She was driving me insane. Alicia was even driving me insane through Raven. Inwardly, every time Raven complained about Alicia I had to agree, but, every guy has to protect his girlfriend, so naturally I had to defend her. I had been planning on breaking up with her the day before, but Raven had wanted a ride, and for good reasons.
Jeremy was an ass. Not that I could really do anything about him without being exiled from school. Plus, Raven was more than capable of protecting herself. But if the bastard went any further I would have to do something. Even a few of my friends were commenting on how badly Jeremy seemed to be bugging my sister. It was off, sure. Jeremy was a player, and he usually pushed at girl until they gave up and went out with him. But he had never been as bad as he was with Raven. Usually, he could take a hint, just so long as it was large and said a few hundred times. I was honestly getting a little worried. If Raven didn't know how to hold her own I would have already beat the crap out of the creep.
But there was still the problem of breaking up with Alicia. I needed to do it after school, I knew from experience that girl took it harder if you broke up with them while on a date. But Raven was the farthest thing from patient, and I needed time to break up with Alicia. I knew she'd probably yell at me for hours. And having Raven come along to drag me away so I could drive her home would definitely not help the situation. I groaned to myself and rolled out of bed, barely landing on my feet. I took a shower and got dressed, mussing over my blonde hair for a few minutes and staring at my six foot two reflection in the mirror with my grey eyes. I heard something that sounded like a sting of profanities emit from the kitchen. Raven was obviously having trouble with something, and, feeling in a brotherly mood I went down to help her out.
I just stood in the doorway of the kitchen and stared. Then I laughed. I couldn't help it, it was just hilarious. There was a now empty coffee can lying on the floor, and ground coffee was everywhere. I knew what had happened, it wasn't all that hard to figure out. Raven was five six, but she still had trouble reaching things that were on the highest shelf of the cupboards, and that was where the coffee can had previously been.
Normally it would have been on a lower shelf, but our mom had run out of her specialized coffee the other day -she had complained about it at dinner- so our mom had obviously taken it upon herself to use Raven's 'cheap, no-name, no-taste, vulgar' brand of coffee as our mother put it. And out mom was tall, probably an inch or two shorter than me, and she like to put things up high. Hence why Raven was now covered in coffee, looking far from pleased, and if looks could kill I'd have been dead before I walked in the door.
---- Raven ----
It would have been funny, hilarious even, if it had happened to somebody else. But no, it had to happen to me. My mother must have been in a 'let's mess with Raven' day today since she decided to put my coffee out of my reach. That or she thought it would stunt my growth, although it was way to late to be caring about that. The coffee can had been so close, so close I could touch it, so close I could painstakingly coax it in my direction. Before it fell. And came down. And popped open. And spewed ground coffee all over me. And then Nick had come in, and his laughter hadn't helped my situation at all. So I had rushed upstairs with a threat to kill him if he left without me. I had to change, that, or make a new fashion statement, something I wasn't in the mood to do.
Oh. My day just got better. Yup. It's official. The world, ya, it hates me. My closet was actually fairly large, just because I'm anti-social doesn't mean that I wear strange clothes with a bunch or holes in them or anything. I dress quite normally thank-you. Okay, so I may have my own twist on every style, but I looked pretty good the way I dressed. Only, today was laundry day. Correction. Last week had been laundry day. This week had been 'use up the dregs' week. And no, I had nothing, absolutely NOTHING left in my closet. Unless you counted the few designer outfits that my mother had forced into my closet.
No. No, no, no! The last thing I wanted was to go to school wearing fashion clothing straight off the runway, I mean, sure, it was nice, if you liked standing out and getting checked out, something I wasn't particularly fond of. Oh, and I could just hear the remarks of my little group of friends. 'Trying to fit in now?' 'What happened to our friend who wanted nothing more than to be left alone huh?' Great. Not. They would never let me live it down. I didn't want to stand out. I didn't want to look like a runway model, I wanted to be me, that girl that people stay away from and don't glance at a second time.
The world hated me even more. Maybe it was Karma, but, I hadn't really done anything wrong had I? Okay, so maybe I had pushed that Mary chick when it wasn't really necessary. But it was one little push! Why did karma have to come back and bite me in the ass so hard? That's it. I'm blaming all of this on that girl, that Mary with her stupid brother that came to 'talk' just because his sister was whiny and a wimp. What was that word all the preppy little cheerleaders -okay, so not all of them were bad but I wasn't feeling all that happy, so stereotypical I shall be- like to use?
Oh ya. Wha-t-ever, hand motions included. Grumbling to myself after Nick shouted up the stairs for me to hurry up I quickly stripped and donned -gasp- the designer clothes. My life was over. I could only hope that my mom never found out I had worn something she had put in my closet, she'd go out an buy even more of the stupid things for me, great way to waste money right? I gulped and slowly walked down the stairs, waiting for the laugh.
---- Nick ----
I tapped my foot impatiently and shouted for Raven to hurry up. What was wrong with her? Had the coffee some how affected her and caused her to forget how to change? My cell rang and I fished it out of my pocket, hoping against hope that it wasn't Alicia.
"Hello?"
"Hey Nick, it's Sean."
I wanted to sigh with relief, at least Sean didn't spend three hours to tell a story about crossing the street.
"Hey Sean, what's up?"
Good question, why was he calling me, it made no sense.
"I think you have my skates."
I frowned.
"Your skates? Why would I have your skates?"
"Because I have yours."
I frowned and went over to the front closet where all my hockey gear was stored, pulled out the skates, and, sure enough, they aren't mine, they're Sean's.
"Ya, I do."
I could hear Sean sigh in relief.
"That's good. Listen, can I pick them up after school then?"
"Sure, I guess. Couldn't you have just waited till we were at school to ask?"
"Probably, but you might have had plans, so I wanted to make sure I didn't have to pick them up before school."
I nodded, even though he couldn't see it.
"Makes sense. But Sean, we don't have practice tonight."
I could almost hear Sean smile through the phone.
"No, we don't, but I have a date with Sarah Richards tonight and she wants to go skating, hence the need for my skates."
I let out a whistle. Sarah Richards was hot. And I mean HOT. As in, skinny waist, nice chest, long legs. And until yesterday, she had been in a relationship.
"You moved in pretty fast there."
Sean laughed.
"Maybe, but it was too good of a chance to pass up, I mean, she's got to be the hottest chick in the entire school."
I had to agree with him, and, if I hadn't still been with Alicia I probably would have moved it as well. Oh well, Sarah wasn't the only hot, available girl in school.
"Makes sense. But for sure, just stop by my house whenever after school. I gave you my address the other day right?"
"Ya, I've got it right here. Thanks man. Alright, I'll see you at school."
"Ya, later."
I shut my phone and returned it to my pocket, an, glancing at my watch, wondered what the hell was wrong with Raven. And then she came down the stairs.
---- Raven ----
Nick looked a little shell shocked. Did I really look that bad? No, I need to relax, it doesn't matter how bad I look, not even if I look like one of those poor suckers who tries to imitate every fashion look out there. No, I just have to suck it up and move on. Unless I wanted to wear dirty clothes. An option that was looking batter and better, especially since Nick was now grinning.
"What ever happened to little miss Raven who swore she wouldn't be caught dead in designer brands, who swore she would never conform to the atrocity that is fashion."
I hoped Nick would die. Sure, he just had to rub it in. Thanks. A. Lot. Note my sarcasm, please.
"Shove it, Nick. I don't have anything else to wear. Let's just go already." He raised his hands in a placating gesture and we walked out to his car. Where I put my feet up on his dashboard and flipped through the radio stations like it was a race. He didn't say anything; in fact, he looked kind of out of it. Something big must have happened, because, for him to allow me to control the radio was one thing, but for him to even allow my shoes to get near let alone TOUCH and part of his car other than the floor mat, was almost disorientating.
---- Nick ----
Shit. Shit. Damn, damn, and double damn. I might actually have to put Jeremy in the hospital today. Why?! Why did she have to leave her laundry until she had absolutely nothing left?! Why!? Sure, I had laughed at her, and made fun, but inside I was debating if I could make her stay home. I don't like my sister in anything other than a brotherly way, but she looked good. Too good. If there was always something I had taken comfort in, it was that my little sister NEVER wore clothes that truly flattered her figure. Until now. She was wearing flared black pants, a white button down shirt, and a black, off the shoulders sweater. All from the runway. All fit her perfectly. I knew my sister was thin, model thin, but it had never been that much of a problem before, sure, she always found her size, but she was so thin that everything she wore tended to be sort of baggy on her; they never showed off her figure. These clothes did. The alarm was going off in my head. Yes, I would definitely have to kill Jeremy today, but it would almost be better to do it before he saw her, that was his pestering wouldn't get any worse right?! Raven now looked like a much younger version of our mother. Our mother who, even though she was in her early forties, had a date at least every other night. And now Raven was just sitting there, looking like she had just come off the runway, even without make-up, and the black colour she had dyed her one lock of hair only helped her image. Damn it all!
Everybody can thank my most estemed, wonderful, amazing (continues on for some time) editor monichi for this edited chapter, she has saved you from my torturous grammar! Praise her: )
monichi wanted me to say that she apologizes if there are any smalling mistakes, grammar mistakes or awkward phrasing. Although I'm pretty sure awkward phrasing is all on me, still, she wanted me to put in the note, so there it is, voila!
Okay, now I want to thank the poeple that reviewed.
monichi- Thank-you! Thank-you for taking the time to fix my story, and thank-you SO, so much for being willing to continue editing further chapters of this story! You're a life-saver, you can be any colour you want! Cheers to you!
Turrah!- (gasps) My dialogue is captivating?! Oh you flatter me so! Haha, thank-you very much for the review and I'm glad that the dialogue captivates you, that means I'm doing something right: )
BreakTheRules4EVA- Well, there was even more POV changes in this one, I hope you liked it! I'm glad you think it's well written, makes me happy, and a happy Etsuko means more updates just like you want : ) Thanks for the review!
Thank-you to those of you that have taken the time to read this story, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
-Etsuko