Chapter 1- My Perfect Life

"Bree, you have to try this on!" I said to my best friend Brittany Davis, thrusting a pink tank top at her.

"Hmm … I don't know," Brittany said frowning as she glanced at the material in her hand.

I urged her to put it on, and Aaron, my other best friend chose to stay silent. You could tell from the look on his face that he was a little more than bored.

Bree went in to change. A couple of minutes later, she walked out in the pink tank top, with a pair of dark blue skinny jeans.

"What do you guys think?" Bree asked twirling around with a smile on her face.

Aaron rolled his eyes, "why do I even bother coming with you two?"

"Because you love us." I said, stating the obvious. Aaron was no match for our pleading.

"You just keep telling yourself that," Aaron muttered to himself as he glanced at the time for about the fiftieth time in the past hour.

As we waited for Bree to change, I took a minute and looked around the store. Among the rows of clothes and the amazing smell of cologne, I noticed about three girls checking out Aaron. Now don't get me wrong, we are not going out, and most likely never will. He's like a brother to me. I mean, he is totally gorgeous, with his 6'3" frame, muscular body, shaggy brown hair and his baby-blue eyes. But, I just didn't see him that way.

Basically, my mom and Aaron's mom became best friends in kindergarten. They grew up together, fell in love, got married, lived close to each other and had kids. Aaron and I really had no choice in the matter; we've always been friends.

"Hey don't look now, Mr. Sulky, but a couple of girls are checking you out," I told him slyly, checking his face for a reaction.

"I am not sulking," Aaron complained with a scowl on his face, as Bree slid out of the fitting room and took it upon herself to look at the three girls.

"Yuck, okay well I'm done shopping, let's leave." Bree declared, shooting the girls a disapproving glance.

"Finally," Aaron muttered making a show of getting up. "All it took was a couple of girls staring at me to get you two out of there. I should hire a squad."

"You have already got one of those at school." I told him, grinning as he winced. "Want me to call them for you?"

"No!" Aaron exclaimed loudly, throwing up his hands in defeat.

"As if I'd do that; they annoy me more than you do."

"Ouch, Anna. There's no need to be jealous, there's enough of me to go around, babe." He laughed, as he put his arm around my shoulders.

I thought about shrugging it off, but then I saw the girls looking. Grinning widely, I kissed Aaron on the cheek and watched as the girls scowled and stalked off.

Aaron chuckled, "they were looking, huh?"

I ducked, blushing slightly. He knew me too well.

We walked over to the counter to pay for the clothes we'd gotten, and decided to leave the mall altogether. Aaron had a big smile on his face the whole way out, probably glad that we were through with shopping – for now.

XXX

As per usual, Aaron and I were arguing over something or another again in the car. My car may I add, my super slick and sexy black Viper.

"Please, will you pick a Goddamn station already?" Bree shouted at us from the backseat. "How hard can it be, when you both like the same music?"

Aaron had a sheepish look on his face, while I just grinned slyly. I did feel a little bad. I didn't like running Bree up the wall all the time, yet it was fun just the same. Aaron and I looked at each other simultaneously, with little similes on our faces. We were both probably thinking the same thing. We burst out laughing causing Bree to join in.

I decided, being the kind, generous person I am, to let Aaron choose a station. We were quiet for a total of ten seconds before I realized I had no clue where I was going.

"Uh, guys? Where to?" I asked.

Before either of them could answer my phone starting ringing.

"Hey, Kim." I answered after glancing at the caller ID.

"Anna, where are you at? We're about to have beach party!" She squealed and I heard some commotion behind her.

I put the phone on speakerphone so that I could concentrate on my driving.

"Without me?" I pretended to be offended. I saw Aaron roll his eyes again. That is definitely becoming a habit for him.

"That's what I said! And of course every single male here, too. You know they don't want to miss a chance of seeing you and Bree all wet and wearing practically nothing!"

"Should I be flattered?" I asked, not wanting to hear her answer.

"Duh, doll! There are some nice male specimens here," Kim replied before laughing some more.

Aaron, beyond annoyed at this point, spoke up. "Uh, Kim? Where is this party? Oh, and I want the names of every guy that's said that about Anna and Brittany."

"Yeah, uh, it's at the usual place and I was kidding A. no need to start a massacre." Kim spoke into the receiver, sounding more serious than before.

"I was not—" Aaron began.

I cut him off before he could start a rant; "'Kay, K. We'll be there in 30."

"Bye!"

I cut off the connection. Noticing the dangerous look on Aaron's face, I decided to start up a conversation.

"So, my place first?" I asked innocently.

"Ah, can we go to mine? I need to grab my suit, and stuff." Bree said. We shared a look, and I nodded at her in thanks; she was giving me and Aaron a chance to just talk.

"Okay," I agreed.

I drove off in silence, with the music playing in the background, until Aaron got mad and turned it off.

"Bye!" She said jumping out of my car as we reached the gates of her house.

I took off driving towards my house in silence for a few minutes. I admired the gorgeous scenery around me. Beverly Hills may be filled with fakes–faces, butts, chests, you name it—but the scenery was all too real and beautiful. The breathtaking, lush green area surrounding you, the large houses all separated accordingly, the ocean and the smell of the cool air. I loved this place; it's where I grew up, and I didn't every want to move. I mean, yeah, I'd love to travel the world, see different places, but home was here.

Okay, before I get carried away with what happened next, let me tell you about myself. I'm 5'5, with emerald green eyes, long layered coppery-red hair. I'm naturally slim. I'm an only child, to the famous ex-soccer superstar who now just coaches, William Jones, and screen writer Jasmine Heart. I have an amazing band of friends too.

First, there's Aaron. I've said a bit about him. He is 6'3, with a muscular body, shaggy brown hair, and ocean blue eyes with flickers of grey. He has a tan from living here, high cheekbones and a defined face. He is a little sensitive, cocky, funny, athletic (football, soccer, rugby captain), easygoing, confident and fierce. I love him to death. We can be inseparable.

Next, there is Brittany. She is awesome; your typical girl best friend stereotype. She has shoulder length blonde hair, only 5'2, with light brown eyes. She is quiet, calm, a little shy, smart, gentle and loving.

Next is Kim. She is the exact opposite of Bree. Kimmy and I have almost the same personalities. We're loud, ambitious, confident, energetic, friendly, honest (to a fault at times), loyal and crazy. We could be long lost twins, except for our looks. Kim is 5'5, with long sleek black hair, and hazel eyes. She has a slightly more athletic build to her, with a heart shaped face.

So, then there's Blake. Blake is huge. He has a very, toned buff body, 6'4, your usual surfer, short blond hair, blue eyes and wide smile. Blake is awesome; he's funny, a little obnoxious at times, lovable, immature and boyish.

Finally, there's Jake. He has a slim frame with lanky muscles; he's 6'3, with black hair and piercing grey-blue eyes. He's quieter, and more relaxed than the other two boys, but they all bond well. He is very, protective (like Aaron), but he's very sweet too. He's more calculated and careful about what he says and does. If only the other boys were like that, too, it would save some fights. Nonetheless, I love them all very much.

"Aaron-" I began, not in the mood to fight with Aaron.

"Anna-" He said at the same time with an apologetic look on his face.

We stopped looked at each other and laughed. The tension was gone. Just like that we were back to normal; neither of us angry with the other.

"Sorry I got a little … uh . . ." Aaron began, looking out the window for a word to describe his behaviour.

"Overprotective? Threatening? Scary?" I supplied, smiling slightly.

"Uh . . . yeah sure. Let's not get carried away, huh?" He said, with a twitch of a smile playing on his lips, too.

"Whatever you say," I agreed happy that our little misunderstanding was through.

We drove in silence to Aaron's house, which conveniently was next door to mine, not that that makes a difference, the houses here were huge and the space between them was I think, a little too much. We reached the front gates, and Aaron took of his seatbelt to get out.

"I'll pick you up this time, okay? Say in about 20 minutes?" He asked, pausing before leaving.

"Sure, sure." I agreed happily, I didn't want my baby getting dirty at the beach. Aaron gave me a quick peck on the cheek before getting out.

I drove home quickly, not thinking about anything in particular. When I got home I raced upstairs to get my things packed. I went through my bathing suits and grabbed a pair of white bottoms with green flowered patterns on them. I pulled them on and slid into a matching green bikini top. I put on my sunglasses just as the doorbell rang.

I open the door to see Aaron looking really cute, with a smile on his face. Exchanging a quick hello, we drove off to the beach.

XXX

"Hey, guys," I said to Brittany and Kim when we arrived. I looked around and saw that half the people in our year were there. There were girls lying on towels tanning, boys playing beach volleyball and some kicking around a ball. I spotted Jake and Blake, who were walking towards me.

"Anna, babe! Why do you have so much clothing on?" Jake smirked picking me up and swinging me around.

"Jake put me down!" I joked, trying to hide the fluttering of my heart.

"I know, right?" Blake agreed. "She wants me to pick her up!" Before I could protest, Blake picked me up too.

"Why do you two have trouble understanding the phrase 'put me down'?" I complained, as Blake finally complied with my demand.

"Anna, you look a little hot, you should cool down!" Jake said with a wicked grin on his face. Ah, so much for him being the careful one. Before he could pick me up again, I began to run and Kim and Bree joined me.

"Oh so that's how you want to do it?" Aaron said. Just like that they all took off after us. We raced around, after a while and they caught us.

"No, no, no!" We screamed. They wouldn't listen and continued on towards the water. By now, we had caught the attention of most of the student body, and they all cheered us on, some girls with jealous expressions on their faces.

XXX

I sighed and threw myself down on a towel. The day was amazing. After the boys threw the three of us in, we had to get revenge. We went back and forth for a while, and then settled on playing a game of beach volleyball. All in all, it was a fun afternoon.

My friends were all lying on towels around me as we watched the sunset; finally we decided it was time to go home. Exhausted, we gathered our things and went to our cars. Jake and I both went with Aaron. I jumped in the front and I hummed along to a song playing in Aaron's car, and I was aware of him watching me trying not to laugh.

"That was fun." I said, wanting to divert his attention from whatever he found so funny.

"Yeah," he agreed, not seeming to want to continue the conversation.

I shrugged. The last thing I remember was a sweet smell before drifting off to sleep.

XXX

I woke up the next morning feeling stiff.

"Ah…" I groaned, keeping my eyes shut, not wanting to get up.

"What time is it?" a husky voice said.

Surprised, that I was not alone in my bed I looked around.

My room was huge. I don't want to brag, but since I am an only child and my parents are very successful, I have a luxurious life. My room is easily the size of a football field. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a little, but it is huge. The flooring is dark cherry wood, with white fluffy carpets one in front of the washroom, another at the foot of the bed, a third in front of the closet, one in front of the TV/sitting area and one at my desk.

My king-sized bed is in the center of the room, covered with a black comforter. To the left, there is a sitting area with a TV, a large stereo and sound system, and all electronic things like that. In the right corner there's my book case, desk, laptop, mini fridge and all educational stuff. I looked around and found Aaron next to me and Jake on the couch. I had no idea how they got there; hell I had no idea how I got here.

"What time is it?" Jake repeated.

"I don't know," Aaron mumbled.

"I don't want to be rude, but what are you guys doing here?" I asked, still trying to relay the events of yesterday in my head.

"Jake carried you to your room, 'cause he didn't want to wake you and I followed along. I guess we just all fell asleep." Aaron informed me.

"Huh?" I answered. I got up and grabbed a change of clothes. After a day at the beach, I really needed a shower.

"Where are you going?" Jake asked.

"Shower."

"Right; I need one too."

"'Kay you can go ahead."

"Aren't you going?" Aaron asked looking at me like I had grown another head.

"Yeah, what's your point?" I demanded annoyed that he was keeping me from my shower.

"So how's he going to? Unless, you're going in together …"

"Aaron! I have more than one bathroom you know!" I said shocked that he came to that conclusion.

"Right…"

Jake didn't say anything throughout our conversation. I rolled my eyes at my friends, whose brains seemed to be functioning slower than normal today; it must be all the sun. After showing them where the other bathrooms were, I went to my bathroom and took my shower, savoring the hot water massaging my body.

I showed Jake and Aaron out after we had had some breakfast. As I lounged around lazily, I heard voices.

I went down stairs, and found my parents home.

"Mom! Dad!" I shouted, going over to hug them. As I mentioned, my parents have to be gone a lot. I was surprised though, they were supposed to be gone for at least another two week. Why were they home so early?

"Hey sweetheart," my dad said hugging me, and giving me a kiss on the top of my head. He was very handsome and well-built mainly because of all that soccer. He had blond hair, with hazel eyes and stood at 6'5.

"How are you honey?" my mother asked, as she took her turn hugging me. She was beautiful with long red hair, and emerald green eyes.

"Good! How come you guys are home early though?" I asked curiously.

My parents exchanged guilty looks that I happened to notice. I was immediately suspicious.

"What?" I asked not sure I wanted to know the answer.

"Ah baby, you might want to sit down first, eat something," Mom began.

Dad cut her off, "Jasmine, there's no point beating around the bush—"

Mom sighed, "I guess you're right Will."

"Anna, you—well we really—are moving to—Toronto." Mom said. As soon as the word moving was out their mouths I went into teenage mode.

"Where?" I demanded, hoping I had heard wrong.

"Toronto…" My mother whispered the word.

"We're moving! Why?" I screamed, giving up on trying to be calm, it was too difficult to do at the moment.

"Your mother has an opportunity to write the script and even try a little bit of directing. It's a big opportunity for her." Dad said proudly.

"And your job?" I asked.

"I've asked around and I'll be coaching the men's soccer team there too."

"And why can't I stay here?" I whined, aware that my parents would not leave their only child here alone.

"Because, it's going to be a while. We can't leave you here." Dad explained, looking at me patiently.

I took a deep breath. I did not want to lash out at my parents, I was raised better than that, but I had to make sure they at least knew I didn't want to go.

"I don't want to go."

"We thought you wouldn't Annie, but we can't do much about it." Mom said, trying to sooth me.

"It'll be a year, and we'll come right back." At the word year I lost all maturity and level headedness.

"A year!" I screamed. "No! I won't go! I'll stay with Brittany, Aaron, Kim, Blake, Jake, anyone! I'll stay alone."

"No." Dad said with finality, for once sounding like a strict father.

I clenched my teeth; I was not going to accept this. "When do we leave?"

"Monday morning." My mouth fell open. Monday?

"Why are you only telling me this now?"

"We didn't want to stress you during your tests this week." Oh, so now they were trying to make it seem they were doing all of this for me.

I couldn't take this any longer. I needed to go up to my room and think. I left the kitchen and ran up the stairs.

"Honey…" My mom began to call, but I heard my dad silencing her.

"Let her come to terms with it, Jasmine."

I shut my door, and lay on my bed. How, why, why? I was so angry, I started crying. I don't need any of this now, come to think of it, I don't need this ever! I needed to relieve my anger, stress and depression. I needed a good party. I grabbed my cell phone and texted my friends. I looked at the clock; it was only 7:45. Good, enough time to get ready, and sexy.

Note: This story is a little bit of a mess and it is all over the place. So, thanks to caitly, a wonderful beta, that problem is being rectified. Enjoy!