Under the Rose

Chapter 1 | Unpleasant Encounters

Hello, readers! It's been years, but I've decided to finally post some of what I've been working on. This book has taken up most of my time, and I've become quite attached to it. Depending on how it's received, I'll continue to post a chapter every week. That being said, your feedback is everything; I'd love to know what you think! I hope you enjoy reading Under the Rose as much as I enjoy writing it. Happy reading!

It all started on Halloween night. Typical, right? Of course, Halloween would have something to do with meeting a demon. This is the story of how my senior year of high school went straight to Hell, and I mean that quite literally.

It was your usual Friday school day: fun-sucking, mentally painful, and only slightly less dreadful because of the welcomed relief that came with the end of the week. I walked into school, went to my boring classes, got my bookbag zip-tied to my desk by some asshat, and had biscuits and gravy for lunch that looked like someone blew chunks all over the tray. So, in short, Friday was awesome. I was as ecstatic as an exhausted, fed-up high school student could be when I practically crawled to the parking lot after school. Just when I was about to reach my pale-blue, hunk-of-trash 1984 Toyota Starlet, my best friend Jessica Rowe came sashaying out of the school.

"Ellie!" she called, running over to me. She slowed down when she was about a yard away and eyed my car in disgust, like usual. "Honey, just let me get you a car for your birthday; no one should have to punish themselves like this."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what? I'm proud of Clark. He may not look like much, but he's seen two car accidents and came away with only slightly-crooked steering. He perseveres. He's at least second to last on the food chain."

She stared at me, obviously finding my speech in defense of my car a bit extra. "You named it Clark?"

I shrugged. "He's indestructible, so I named him after Superman."

She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh. "You're such a nerd, El." She shook her head. "Anyway, there's gonna be a party at my house tonight. I know you don't like the people I hang out with, but can you please come anyway? For me?"

She was right. I hated her "friends," especially Farrah Hansen. Ever since we got into high school, she started hanging out with the ignorant rich kids of the school. You know, those cliché kids that don't give a shit about anything but booze and drugs? Yeah, that group. She's changed a lot. She wears designer clothes and heaps of makeup, but her attitude is the same as it's always been. She didn't care that we were obviously from different social groups; I was her best friend since we were in diapers.

"I don't know, Jess," I replied, looking anywhere but at her hopeful face. "I really have to study for that chemistry test on Monday."

"Bitch, it's Friday. Study tomorrow." She gripped my shoulders and started shaking me. "C'mon, Ellie, it's Halloween! This has been our favorite holiday since we were kids. Plus, Beck said he was gonna come tonight, and I'm pretty sure he has a thing for you."

I cringed when she waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Uh, yeah, no thanks. Exercise-obsessed soccer players aren't really my type."

"Right. I forgot Eugene Foreman from Chess Club is more your type."

I shrugged. "We'd probably have more in common."

"Ugh, what am I going to do with you?" She released me and started walking backward toward her BMW. "You're coming to my party! Be at the house by eight tonight."

She didn't give me a chance to protest. She was already jogging across the parking lot. I sighed. It took everything I had not to ask the guy in the truck parked next to me to run me over and show no mercy. He probably wondered why I was giving him an encouraging look before I got into my car and drove off.