I turned off the ignition on my little car as I parked in the school parking lot. Grabbing my shoulder bag, I made my way to the main building. Spinning the dial for my combination I opened my locker and placed my books inside. "Hey El!" I turned in the direction of my nickname to spot Bryn; my best friend. She bounded over to me making her brown curls bounce.
"You think I could copy your notes from last weeks-" I held out my notepad and she hastily snatched it. She hugged me tightly then stepped back giggling.
"What?" I closed my locker and we easily fell in step beside each other.
"So, do you want your embarrassing present now or later?" I rolled my eyes as she didn't bother to suppress her laughter. Running in front she stopped me in my tracks. She grabbed my arm and placed something small in it. I was about to object until she wagged her index finger in my face.
"No givsies backsies." Taking off the bright purple wrapping I inspected the small velvet box. Snapping the box lid open my eyes grew wide. Neatly placed inside was a folded piece of piece of paper. I slid a lazy gaze over at Bryn who began to burst from the seams with laughter.
"What kind of birthday present is this?" I asked dumbfounded. She gulped for air as she regained her composure.
"Go on read it." I looked then back up to Bryn with confusion written on my face. Unfolding the paper my eyes scanned her scrawled writing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! PARTY HARD!
I still didn't get it, then I glanced at the box once more. Hidden underneath the paper was a tinfoil wrapper. More specifically it was a condom. I gave Bryn the death stare as she lets out an exasperated sigh.
"There's a party down at the pier tonight. Time you get your grove on girlfriend!"
"What couldn't you get me something normal, like a card?" She shook her head and looped her arm through mine.
"Because normal is for flat heads." I gave her another look as she erupted with laughter once more.
"Oh come on, you're seventeen now! Live a little, you never know what could happen, you might even have fun."
"Yeah but, on a Monday night?" She shrugged her shoulders. "And was the other part really nessecary?"
"Other part? Og you mean the condom?" She looks at my unimpressed face and starts to laugh again. "I think Jane is rubbing off on you too much. Keep this up and you'll end up as an old lady with twelve cats." I gasp,
"I will not!"
"Will too, cat lady!" I bump hips with her and she stumbles slighly, still laughing.The bell rang and students began to scurry into their first period classes
"Eleanor, it's your birthday for goodnessake. Do something something reckless! Today is the beginning of your eighteen year old life. You got to make the most of it!" Yeah, no pressure or anything. She squeezed my arm and left to go find her class. I slumped down into my seat for first period and put Bryn’s gift in my bag. I really wish sometimes I could be more carefree like Bryn. I was eighteen and I had nothing to show for it except for being the girl whose parents died. I wanted to change that. I wanted it desperately.
Sitting down at our usual lunch table I began to dig into my ravioli. Bryn sat across from me fixing her makeup. "I mean come on; it wouldn't kill them to fix the roof." Said Bryn.
"You know you're in Madele High when..." I began between bites of food. Kale, answered,
"It's raining more inside than it is outside." We all laughed, except Courtney who had her nose buried in a book. Her head whipped up and eyed all of us,
"What’s so funny?"
"Mr. Smith, have you seen that uni-brow?" We laughed again. That was our table, three girls and one boy without a clue. Kale was actually Bryn's brother, but you'd never know it with their looks. Lunch was the only time I ever saw Kale, besides track. Lunch was also his only break from talking about sports. As far as we all knew each other, me and Bryn had been best friends since kindergarten. Kale kind of just tagged along for the ride. Me and Courtney had been put together for a school project in third grade and meshed ever since. I suppose we started out as just friends by association, but it quickly turned out that we all just got along really well. I noticed Kale's fork slowly make its way towards my ravioli. I stabbed one with my fork,
"You want one?" I flicked my wrist and the ravioli splattered against his forehead, "There you go." I smiled as the table erupted with laughter.
"Jeez El, you could've poked my eye out!" He grumbled while he wiped off the sauce with a napkin.
"It's your own fault, you should know by now that Eleanor doesn't share her food." Stated Courtney plainly, all the while keeping her eyes in her book. Kale rolled his eyes and waved a hand in front of her, she didn't look up. I grabbed his hand and moved it away from her face.
"Stop it, leave her alone stupid."
"I am not stupid!" He argued.
"Yes, you are. I tutor you remember." Courtney countered. I snickered,
"I can't take their sexual tension." Bryn exasperated
"Are you talking about Kale and me or Courtney and Kale?" I asked jokingly. Courtney's head sank a little deeper into her book while Kale snickered.
"Oh hell no, I may not be smart, but I'm not stupid." I laughed and shook my head.
"Do you even know what you just said-" She trailed off as Jason Raiden walked into the cafeteria. Bryn's eyes immediately went to him and stood up abruptly.
"See you later?" she asked me, I nodded and she walked off to 'accidentally' run into Jason. She had a major crush on our schools quarterback for almost four years. Of course Jason was oblivious which made Bryn even crazier. Kale shook his head,
"Girls," he muttered.
YOU ARE READING
Deadly Secrets
Teen FictionEleanor Bast was just your run of the mill teen, until her parents died and left her and Leo, her younger brother orphaned. On her 18th birthday her family's secrets begin to unravel themselves before her very eyes. Told to be a direct descendant of...
