That morning of Wednesday October twenty-fourth was the worst morning of my life.
It was the morning Leo Choi decided to corner me in the hallway and demand I go to his party after school on Friday night as the football team would be celebrating winning every game since the season started. Was I dreading this? Yes, because not only was this Leo kid suddenly hanging out with me but I was basically being forced into going and not just by Leo.
"Why is he eating lunch with us?" Shay asked me as I closed my locker door. "If I knew I'd tell you," I said walking away. "It's probably a trap, Avery is baiting you," she said fixing her ponytail, I rolled my eyes. "I don't think Avery knows her boyfriend like she thinks, he literally sleeps with half the school doesn't he?" I replied. "Not half the school it's mostly girls he knows are vulnerable and too "in love" to even think straight, I was one of those girls." She said with a frown and we entered the cafeteria.
Shay made a be-line for the line and I headed to our table where none other than Leo was sitting. "Hey," he said, "how was third period?"
"Leo," I said taking a seat, "what is your game."
"Game?"
"Yeah—"
"Why are you sitting with her?"
I sighed, great.
Avery stood there with her arms crossed, Leo looked her and said, "Babe I can sit with other people."
"Not with her," she hissed looking me up and down. "Avery—" he started but she cut him off, "No Leo, look at her, she's trying to break us up."
"I'm literally trying to eat," I said. "Shut up," Avery snarled. "Avery this is why we broke up the first time, you promised you'd stop acting like this when I'm around other girls." He said and ran his hand through hair, Avery narrowed her eyes at us.
"Fuck you Leo Choi," she hissed and stormed off.
I had no idea what the fuck just happened but I'm ninety percent sure they just broke up. Leo continued to sit with us throughout the rest of the week and as October came to an end I was seriously starting to get annoyed by his presence.
"Someone has to tell him that we aren't his friends," Dakota said that day, we decided to have lunch outside as it was starting to get cooler and Shay begged us to go outside, James looked me and I scoffed, "Why me?"
"Because he likes you," Suzi said pulling the pepperonis off her pizza and putting them to side, I had to laugh, they were definitely kidding, but the looks on their faces me made feel sick.
"Please be joking."
"No, his feelings are too obvious."
I rolled my eyes still not believing them. "You guys know I'm lesbian right?" I asked and the three of them blinked before whispering amongst themselves, James turned to look at me then back at the group, I raised my eyebrow.
"After further inspection we have come to the conclusion that we are idiots." Shay said.
We begin to laugh only for our happiness to die when Avery came to the table. "Oh no," James said and Avery shot him a look. "Maddy can I have a word, girl to girl?" She asked me. "Are you going to beat me up?" I asked as I followed back into the school and to the bathroom, but she didn't respond and the minute we walked in she threw her school bag down and started to sob.
Oh shit.
"Avery?"
I watched as the poor thing fell against the wall and slid down it, running her hands through hey hair as she cried. "He won't take me back," She hiccuped, "a-and I don't know what to do."
I crouched next to her. "Well crying on the dirty bathroom floor won't fix your problems," I said, "fuck Leo if he doesn't want you that's his problem."
"That's what everyone keeps saying but who else would put up with me? I mean come on look at me I'm horrible."
"You're not horrible."
"Yes I am my personality is literally the equivalent of a dead squirrel, I'm loud, obnoxious, overbearing, and way too jealous—at least those are the things Leo has told me."
"Yeah, and Leo has slept with most of the girls at this damn school."
Avery sighed and splashed some water under her eyes to relieve some of the puffiness forming. "What am I supposed to do?" She asked, I shrugged. "I don't know you like girls?" I asked as casually as possible, she froze at that question and we stood there in a very awkward silence.
"Sorry I—"
"No, I mean I do like girls, I just haven't exactly said anything on it, I don't feel like labeling myself."
She tapped her fingers on the sink before lifting her head. "Thanks I guess, uh, bye." Then she grabbed her things and left, the bell rang and I went to my locker to get my bag. I found Shay by my car as I would be taking her home today because she apparently wrecked her car during homecoming and had no way home.
"What did she wanna talk about?"
"Oh nothing."
"Really? That's weird."
"She needed a pad," I said hoping that would end the conversation before one even begun. I dropped Shay off at her house and then headed to mine, I grabbed my usual coffee and pulled into my driveway a little later than usual.
"Oh hey sweetie, I'm not cooking anything tonight so how about we go out for Thai?"
I nodded. "Sounds good let me go freshen up."
I jogged to my room and pulled out a clean shirt, some baggy jeans, and a pair of cute boots. I showered, shaved, and did my makeup before throwing on my clothes, I kept my hair down and grabbed a cute handbag hanging on my bed frame. "Okay, I'm ready," I said and we got into her car and started to the restaurant.
"Two please," my mom said to the host as we were taken to our table, Suzi walked up and smiled at me. "Hey," She said, "what would you like to drink?"
"I'll have a root beer light ice please," My mom said. "Water with lemon for me," I said and Suzi nodded as she skipped off to get them. "Friend from school?" My mom asked, I nodded as we talked about things relating to various topics then she asked, "So are you interested in anyone?"
"Mom," I groaned.
"It's a harmless question Maddy, a mother knows best."
"No mom I'm not interested in anyone."
She pursed her lips. "I expected that much, you haven't seen anyone since Danielle."
"Just drop it," I snapped at the mention of her name. My mom, realizing her mistake, apologized immediately, Suzi came with our drinks and dinner was pretty quiet, when we got home I changed, I slipped into my bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
Thanksgiving went by quicker than I had imagined, as December started to make its way into our lives, my excitement grew each passing day.
Renée would be coming soon.
I slipped into a purple puffer jacket and wool leggings before rushing out the front door to meet Shay and Suzi. I was having a girls' night with them, it would be our first one as officially established friends, I slid into the back seat of the red Range Rover, it was Shay's brother's he was away at college and wouldn't need it.
"Okay ladies," Shay said, "now who is ready for fun, drunk, and crazy?"
"Just say live, laugh, love," I replied, Shay sent me the bird and drove out of my neighborhood and to hers. Shay lived in a much nicer neighborhood than me, even had to put in a code to get into the damn gate. "Damn Shay, what do your parents do?" I asked watching as we seemingly passed multiple mansions. "Oh um, I actually don't know who my real parents are," she answered, "I'm adopted."
"Oh."
"Nah I'm lucky to have wealth, by the way if you need anything just tell me."
I smiled as we pulled into a large two story home, the drive way had four more cars parked in it, a large fountain in the center and don't even get me started on the home itself. We walked up the steps and Shay unlocked the door, as we entered I blinked at ten foot Christmas tree just chilling in the main room.
"Woah," I said when I noted more decorations, Shay sighed and laughed nervously. "Sorry Christmas is my mom's favorite holiday, let's go to my room."
We followed her up the stairs and to her bedroom, it was twice the size of mine. God I'm so jealous.
Shay pulled her phone out and connected it to Netflix we started watching random movies before deciding to settle on watching Shameless. We were on season five before my eyes begin to get heavy, it got to the point where I kept falling forward, I looked at Shay who was already passed out, Suzi was too, she laid on her side hugging her pillow, the blanket falling off her body.
I yawned and turned over on my side, falling asleep on all these damn covers was super easy.
In the morning, Shay was still asleep and so was Suzi, I'm mostly an early bird so I went off to go find something to eat, I found Shay's kitchen which was harder than expected and stopped mid way when I saw the absolute buffet on the table.
"Oh hi, take whatever," a woman said wiping her hands with a towel, "you must be one of Shay's friends, I'm Loren."
"Maddy," I said taking a waffle off the plate, some strawberries and added some whip cream. "Could you tell Shay I'll be home by dinner?" Loren asked as she fixed her collared shirt, "important things ya know?"
"What do you do for a living?" I asked. "Oh I'm a modeling agent, Tennessee Models?" She said.
Then she left and finished my breakfast and Shay woke up five minutes later with Suzi close behind.
"I see you met Loren," Shay said to me taking about five waffles and drowning them in syrup. "She seems nice," I replied, "oh she said she'll be home for dinner."
"She's always home for dinner."
Suzi sighed and put her phone away, Shay's smiled faded. "Do you have to leave?"
The girl nodded and went back upstairs. "Why does she have to leave?" I asked. "Her parents are super strict and they've always been, they don't like me and they sure as fuck don't know shit about James." She told me. "Then how she have social media?" I asked, Shay sighed and threw her hair over her shoulder before replying, "It's a burner phone, I bought it and pay the bill."
"How?"
"My mom gives me spending money, I got like ten grand on me."
I dropped my waffle on the floor and a shaggy black dog rushed over and snagged it. "Paisley you stupid mutt!" Shay shouted, "I hate that dog, anyways what do you want to do? We can go swimming."
"Shay it's freezing out."
"Don't worry we have an indoor pool and it's heated come on my older sister probably has a bathing suit that'll fit your big ass tits."
"They're not that big," I said following her to another room twice the size of my bathroom. "This'll fit," Shay said pulling a red bikini from the bottom drawer, "and don't worry my sister moved out a year ago."
I nodded and took the bikini I quickly changed and met Shay out by the pool, she was so tight it was super warm in there. "Jesus Christ," I said wading into the shallow end. We sat out there for what seemed like hours, not a care in the world, I went home the next day and it was right back to school that following Monday. Only to discover Avery standing at my locker her arms crossed.
"Can I help you?" I asked unlocking it and throwing my lunch inside along with my duffel bag of extra clothes. "Leo moved on," she said looking at her shoes, "guess it's really over."
"Avery it was over from the beginning, Leo doesn't care and never did."
"It's my fault I'm too brash."
"Well—"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence"
I looked my own shoes, Avery sighed again and shook her head. "I'm stupid," she said before walking off.
"So like are we gonna see more of Avery now too?" James asked me, which made me jump out of my skin. "Fuck James don't do that," I said with a huff, "I actually don't know."
And on that note I headed to class, confused and overwhelmed—mostly overwhelmed.
In the end, we did start to see more of Avery, but not in a good light, she was starting to get even more trouble at school than usual and was bullying Leo's current girlfriend—a sophomore named Lizzy, now I for one find it disgusting that they're together considering Leo is nearly eighteen but to each their own.
Avery has it made it her middle to make a fool of this poor girl, going as far as pouring water on her head, making nasty comments about her, and even demanding she break up with Leo. It's gotten bad, but what did I do? Noting, December is closing in and I'm more excited on Renée coming in than anything else.