Chapter 1 :
News
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Time. This is something that no teenager has enough. Some of them studies for better grades, some of them has to deal with problems, and some of them goes for work to have enough money to feed the family. Well, I was never one of these. I always had time to party, go hang out and to just have fun. We're young only once, aren't we?
Some of the girls are even more busier trying to find their perfect selves so all the boys will have crushes on them. I am not one of those, either. Because so it turns out like the men are more important that woman. Why? Than god wouldn't create me. You know how it's in the art, at first piffle, and then masterpiece. Just like there was created man, and then woman. The world doesn't revolve around boys, so why does the boy's approvement mean a world?
There are some rare girls like me that always hangs out with boys. I'm not saying I'm not friends with girls, I just avoid staying alone with them. It's just less drama, that's it. High school girls are beasts. Why is it so important that your crush doesn't like you? Fuck it and move on. "Bestie" betrayed you? Betray her back. Family problems? You're still a teenager, leave all the problems to adults. Is it so hard? I don't think so. Because this is what I am.
Well, at least this is what I was. Because the last night my mother spotted me with my friends smoking. First try, I promise. Okay, maybe second. Fine, it was the third time, I swear. So, tonight after school we're gonna have a family dinner. On the last family dinner my dad and I swore on each other, and mother slapped me. That was the day they found out I lied when I said I was gonna stay to Lucy, going to the party instead.
It's not like I do such things everyday or every weekend. No more than twice a month, really. But every time there's something they don't like, it turns out to be a catastrophe. Take the party for an example. I lied, I understand. But they thought I lost my virginity in there for months, before I agreed on showing to the Doctor. All I did was drinking a couple of drops and dancing.
Once, they saw me kissing with my boyfriend in my living room. Nothing special, just a regular kiss. And I was guarded for two weeks.
My teacher says that as much as you keep pushing on a teenager, as much she or he will push back. Sometimes it happens even without realizing it. When you keep them away from not-so-bad things, they turn out to do terrible things. I think this is what happened with me.
If I mention this to my parents, they'll say I'm telling tales. If a psychologist tells them this, they'll believe. It's just that our parents do never trust us enough. They don't trust us when we say it was a mistake, we're sorry and we'll never repeat it again. They don't believe and guard us. This makes us angry and we push back, having the wish to risk and make something worse. It's because all of us teenagers are hard-headed. We want it and when parents ban something lighter, we can't resist darker.
Because the truth is, we're all mad here. Of course, there are those other ones, who are so unlucky they never ever go mad, as my favourite writer says. Staying normal in this crazy world is just unreal. Although, this is what parents expect from us. They want us to be perfect, making no mistakes. They don't understand that mistakes are the only things we can learn from. The minute you stop making mistakes is the minute you stop learning.
Okay, let's stop this talk for a second and just jump to the part when my best friend Billy drove me home from school.
"See you tomorrow," he said, looking up at me from the driver's seat as I exited the car.
"If I'm lucky enough," I said, slamming the door shut and entering the three-floored house. "Mom? I'm home!" I called out.
"Come here," I heard dad's serious voice coming from the dining room. Strange, because he has to be on work. Something very bad is going on here.
"Dad? Why are you here?" I asked as I entered the huge dining room.
"Mom and I want to talk to you."
"Yea, I know. But why aren't you on work?"
"Took a day off."
"Okay, and why?"
"So I could talk to you. Oh, just help your mom to get the plates."
I threw my backpack on the white leather couch in the corner, and entered the huge kitchen.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi," she coldly said.
"Listen, I know-"
"No," she cut me off. "We'll talk about it in a minute. Get the bread."
After setting up the dinner we all sat down and the awkward silence fell. None of us volunteered to eat.
"So," dad broke the silence, "your mom and I talked yesterday about everything. And decided that it's not your fault."
Wait, what?
My mom spoke, "We assume it's because of your school and your friends."
Wait, WHAT?
"What is it supposed to mean?" I asked, panicking.
"We decided to move you," she answered.
"What?" I yelled in disbelief. There was no way they were seriously, actually meaning that. "Move from school?"
"Yes."
"No, mom. I have friends there. And Billy."
"We understand-"
"No," I cut my dad off. "I can't move! I can't leave! Didn't you think that moving me will affect even worse?"
"This is why we are moving you to the Lestrade Academy," dad replied.
"I can't leave. Really, I can't. It's not fair. Mom, dad, I understand you are taking care of me and love me. But moving me will be even worse," I spoke desperately, "Billy and I are friends from the kindergarten, and I have other friends there. I said it was a mistake, and I will never do this again. What else do you want from me?"
"Zoe, you are moving to Lestrade Academy, and no word more," dad said.
I stood up, meanwhile hitting my balled fist on the table, and going straight upstairs. I locked my debroom door behind me, sitting on the king-sized bed. Why were they doing this? Don't they understand? They are so lost in their problems and jobs that already forgot how it's like to be a teenager. And Billy was my best friend since I'm four. How could I leave?
I heard a knock on my door and my mom's voice, "Zoe? Open up."
"Why? So you can try to convince me that it's better?" I called out dryly.
"But it is."
"No, it's not. You can't make me move. It's not the school that makes my mistakes, but age mom. Okay?"
"Stop talking phylosophy and let me in."
I opened the door and sat back on my bed. I felt the bed moving as she sat next to me, but I didn't even glance her way, instead staring at the floor.
"Zoe, we are doing this for you," she said in that parently worried voice of hers.
"I know, mom. I really do and I appreciate it. But making me move won't do anything better."
"It will, believe me it will. Lestrade Academy is one of the best schools in suburgatories."
"Suburgatories?"
"Yes. Lestrade Academy is a school-pension."
"What?"
I can't say I'm dissapointed. What's better than having a school year on my own?
"And what's different about it?" I asked.
"There will be uniforms, and strict rules about makeup."
What the hell? Did she want me to die?
"Why?" I asked.
"Because. And there's one more thing you probably won't like."
"What else, mom?"
"Boys and girls are seperated."
WHAT? No. Way.
"What does it mean?" I asked in disbelief, being unable to understand all of these.
"There are different buildings for boys and girls. And it's forbidden to meet any of the boys."
"Why?" I snapped.
"I don't know. Go ahead and ask the principal."
"But why are you moving me there?"
"So you start hanging out with girls."
That really made me angry. What the hell did she want in my personal life? I am the one to choose who I will be friends with, not her.
"I do hang out with girls," I said, for the first time looking her way.
"Really? Name them."
I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her, just like a stubborn teenager I am. I started naming my friends, "Amy, Lucy, Kailee."
"Now name the boys. All of them." I stayed quiet. "Name them."
I rolled my eyes once again, turning my gaze back to the floor before answering, "Billy, Jack, Zender, Andre, Rob, Steve, Jeremy, etc."
"Not etc. Name all of them."
I sighed. "Nate, Nick, Danny, Scott, Bruse and Stiles."
"See?"
"See what?"
"Almost all of your friends are boys."
"It's not my fault that all girls ever think about is new shoes."
"But you love buying shoes."
"Yes, four times a year. For spring, for summer, for autumn and for winter. High school girls are going shopping for shoes every twice a week. And they just can't miss a new iPhone."
"You have iPhone 6."
"You know what I mean."
"No, I don't. You are more alike them than you could ever think. You just refuse it and rather hang out with boys, skating."
"So what? Don't try to change me, mom."
"I'm not trying to."
"Yes, you do. And what am I supposed to do with dancing?"
"You can take a dance class there."
"Wow, one plus from dozens of minuses."
"Listen, you have to."
"No, mom. I can't. You know how important Billy is for me."
"Of course. When he hurt his ankle in your fourth year you carried him on his plastic car five blocks."
"I know, mom. He is more important than everyone else in my school put together."
"It's wrong."
"No, this is exacly right. This is what a best friend has to mean."
"Okay. You are moving to the Lestrade Academy in a week."
Heart attack. I'm having it.
"So soon?"
"Yes. Now you can go and spend your last week with your freak friends."
"I will."
"Okay," she said and exited my room. Who is she to call my friends freaks? Ohh, I have a bad news for Billy. So I called him.
"Hey how's dinner?" he said.
"Terrible. No way worse."
"Why?"
"Gotta talk."
"Uhh, okay. Should I come?"
"If you're alone than I'll come. I don't wanna freak mom out even worse."
"Den's home, but come anyways."
"Okay. I'll be there in ten."
"Whoa whoa... Don't make a car wreck meanwhile. I'm not that close."
"Anyways. See ya."
"Okay."
I took my phone, money, and jumped in my Jeep.
Billy and I sat in his living room, none of us making a sound.
"So?" he asked. "Are you gonna tell me or should I bury my curiosity?"
"Don't talk a mess. I just don't know how to tell. I was thinking the whole road, and there's still no word."
"Come on, Zo. Don't scare me."
Zo; I loved when he called me that. Damn, I would miss him so much!
"Oh, be very scared. Because you will have to sneak in girls' bedroom if you wanna see me."
"What?"
"I'm moving, Billy."
"What?" his jaw snapped open and his painful expression was killing me. "Why?"
"Because my parents think it's our friends' fault that I'm like this."
"Did you tell her that it's not?"
"Of course. I said that moving me will make things even worse. Said that they can't seperate you and me, said I can't leave, and said that it's not fair. But nothing worked."
"They can't do it."
"They did it."
"Wait, what about bedrooms?"
"That's the worst part. Lestrade Academy has two parts, one for boys and one for girls. They are seperated and we can't meet each other. Meanwhile it's a school-pension."
"Shit," he swore.
"Biggest," I replied.
"But why are they doing this?"
"Because they think it's right. I don't know what else to tell them. I just can't leave."
"And I can't let you go."
"I knew this was gonna happen," we heard Den, he was standing behind us. "It was doubtful how close you two were. I knew you'd end up together."
"No, we didn't," I said.
"She's moving, Den," Billy said.
"Ouch," Den answered and exited the living room.
"What do I do?" I asked him.
"I don't know, but we'll do something."
"Of course, we will. It's unreal."
"Okay, how much time do we have?"
"A week."
"What?" he exclaimed. "A week? Damn."
"I know. And I hope very much that we can convince housekeepers you're my brother so they'll let you in."
"No, Zo. We'll do something, okay?" he put his hands on my shoulders. "We can't let you leave."
"I tried everything," I desperately said. "Mom said I need to hang out with girls and that I refuse that I'm just like those fashion muppets on high heels."
"Oh, wow. They don't know you at all."
"I know," I dropped my head, ready to cry. What? I don't cry. I can't cry.
"Listen, we'll fight it," he said.
"We will. We will get over this and we will make them change their minds. But in case we won't be able to, tonight we gotta get out."
"Sure."
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A/N:
Hello people!
So, first chapter, eh? It's always the most important for the book.
I am so excited about publishing this!
If there are any typos, there's two reasons why:
1. I am writing on my mobile;
2. It's 3am here and I'm sleepy as hell.
I really, really hope you liked it. But if you don't, give me another chance, since I got the idea only today and I have absolutely no idea about how the things are gonna be. I mostly write improvisation, but this book really is different than any I've ever written. And I wrote lot's of things in my notebooks, trust me.
Please, comment and vote since it means a world to me!
And make sure to check out the next chapter:)!
xoxo
-Leah