Shout

Chapter One

"Do you have a Shout account?" It's a question I hear almost every day.
"Shout" is a website the seniors of my high school set up right before they left for college. They had intended it to be a site perfect for spreading gossip, creating drama, and ending friendships. And that is exactly what it became. Now you may be asking, 'Kayla, you're a senior this year, how can you not have a Shout account?'

Well, I personally don't want to have my entire life portrayed on some illegal mash of Tumblr, Instagram, and Snapchat. 'Shout' is a horrible thing and I will never have one. Or at least that's what I had initially told myself. This is how my life practically got ruined. And please, don't judge just yet, I had my reasons.

•••••

I groaned, "No, I don't. And I'm not going to ever have one."

I picked up my bag and walked away to the lunchroom. Why did people care so much about one single social media account? Is not having one a crime or something?

I immediately sat down at the table closest to the window, our table. It had been my friends' lunch table ever since we were freshmen, and no one ever sits there without asking us first. We took pride in our lunch table.

James, Tyler, Maddie, Wilson, and Amber were already there. Olivia and Ron were running later than I. My group is a little messy. A mash of nerds, jocks, and everyone in between. We had stuck all through middle school together, before we really had stereotypes. Now we planned on staying that way through high school.

I took a sip of my water, listening to Wilson and James complaining about the new chemistry teacher, and Maddie had been defending him.

"Oh please! You're only defending him because you think he's hot." James said, crossing his arms across his chest

Maddie had blushed, "You shut up! He is actually a good teacher."

Amber murmured into her Coke, "He's actually pretty hot."

We had laughed as Olivia and Ron sat down with us.

"What's so funny?" Olivia asked while taking a bite out of her sandwich. Oh, how I hated it when she talked with her mouth full.

"Madison wants to date our new chemistry teacher." Wilson said without blinking.

Ron snickered and Olivia rolled her eyes.

"What do you think, Kayla?" Tyler asked, turning the conversation to me.

I grinned and put my water down, "Why does it matter if he's hot or not? You boys are just jealous because the girls are all worshiping him."

Amber and Maddie laughed at the dumbstruck expressions that had passed over the boys' faces.

James brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes and took a deep breath. The table suddenly fell quiet.
"So um guys...."

"Yea?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows. James was always so cocky and confident. We weren't used to seeing him nervous and fidgety.

"I got a Shout." He blurted out, not looking at me.

I groaned, "Really? Now I'm the only one left without one."

James smiled at me sadly, "I'm really sorry I broke the pact."

I looked away from his pretty grey eyes and focused on Amber's long wavy red hair instead. That is until she had continued the subject of Shout.

"Why don't you want one, Kayla?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

I looked at her and sighed. "I just always hear stories about how it has ruined people's friendships and relationships, and I just...I don't want that to happen to us."

Madison sighed. Twisting her long dark hair on her finger she said, "Kayla, sweetie, that's never going to happen."

Wilson came to her aid, "Yea, we are the closest group of friends in the whole school. Nothing can break us up."

I smiled and continued to eat my lunch while surrounded by my best friends.

If only they had been right.

Chapter one is done! What do you think? Please tell me in the comments or by voting. I know it was pretty slow but I promise it will pick up I chapter two, which will be posted sometime next week. Love you guys! ~Abby