She woke up, blood slowly dripping down the side of her face, as she slowly opened her eyes and realized she was tied to a chair. Still in a daze, she realized one of her eyes was nearly swollen shut, her face was bleeding, and her lip had been cut.
She looked around frantically, but the darkness was blinding. She could hear the faint sound of footsteps in the distance, and the door swung open.
* * * * * *
"You ready for this?"
She slipped on her Chanel sunglasses, and smoothly applied her posh pink lipgloss to her full, pink lips. She smoothed her hands over her glossy brown hair, and smirked at her flawless reflection.
"Oh, I'm ready," Eva Rosewell replied smoothly, as a cool September wind blew in from the west. She snapped her compact mirror shut and tucked it into her shoulder bag. Then she squinted her eyes through the tall, black iron gate that bordered her school.
Lakewood High School.
Eva Rosewell and her best friend, Aubrey McDaniels, were finally seniors. Eva could scarcely believe how fast time had gone by. She remembered her freshman year, vididly. She'd been overcome with excitemen when she had found out that Aubrey, who she had befriended in the second gade, would be attending Lakewood with her. Being a proficient artist, Aubrey entered Lakewood and instantly clasped onto any opportunity she had to sketch or paint. And Eva, being a socialite, quickly climbed her way to the top of the social ladder.
They had clasped hands and paraded into the auditorium together for the freshman orietation, nervously chatting, and ogling freshman boys that loomed everywhere.
That was back when Aubrey had the fashion sense of a five year old, and Eva had been about fifteen pounds heavier. After a crash diet, she quickly found herself fitting into a size four, and Aubrey developed a congenial style.
And now, here they were, gazing at the campus they had grown so very fond of over the years. Eva, with her beautiful face and slender, model-worthy body, had quickly managed to get Lakewood under her thumb with very little ffot. And Aubrey with her meek, shy personality, tried not to be under Eva's shadow.
"We have to make this year unforgettable," Aubrey said as her thick, curly brown hair fluttered daintily in the breeze. Her eyes found a few random juniors and sophomores promenading by, talking loudly, hugging, and discussing their summer endeavors. Their hearts fluttered with an uneasy realization, that this was, indeed, their final year.
Eva pressed her lips together, straighened her back, and smiled as she and Aubrey walked into the courtyard, greeting their favorite security guards, and waving at random seniors. It was a flawless day in Boston, and everyone was in a splendid mood.
It was about twenty minutes until homeroom was set to meet, where the students would recieve their new identification cards and their schedules. The courtyard was bustling with freshman, many of them standing alone and pondering the campus with wide eyes, and upperclassmen with their friends, hugging, chatting, sipping on cold drinks.
The huge stone fountain statue of Lakewood's acclaimed mascot, the tiger, was located directly in the middle. Beautiful flowers were blooming all around it, and with it's long ledges, many people were sitting on it, relaxing with their friends.
Aubrey began nervously gnawing on her thumbnail, a habit she desperately tried to stop, as she and Eva approached the fountain At least seven people Aubrey had never seen before exchanged excitied hellos to Eva, and disregarded her completely.
"Oh my God!" a voice from behind suddenly "Is that my BABY, Eva Rosewell?"
Tall and busty Brittany Oxford, nearly stumbling over her own feet as she sprang from the fountain ledge, and she collided into Eva with a hug. Around her, her boyfriend David Lancard, his friend Paul Brennan, and his girlfriend, Chasity Daniels, all rose to greet Eva excitedly, eager to hear about her vacation in Orlando, complementing her fetching tan, telling her how beautiful she looked. Aubrey stood sheepishly to the side, maintaing a smile but staring evenly at all of Eva's friends whom she barely knew. She wasn't exactly a fan of being in crowds, so she felt out of place.
Eva, however, loved people, and she loved attention- which she got wherever she went.
After a few moments, Aubrey was finally acknowledged. Brittany spun around, her black hair swinging towards Aubrey. "Hey Aubrey!" she said with a bright smile and a wave.
Aubrey forced a greatful smile as Brittany squeezed her with a hug, as Eva turned to Chasity.
Brittany Oxford was the party animal of Lakewood. She lived in an enormous mansion with her mother who was an extrememly successful business woman, her father who was an exalted movie directior, and her two little brothers, who were twins. Her parents were always away at work, and her brothers were often at their grandmother's, which gave Brittany perfect opportunities to throw lunatic, unforgettable bashes for absolutely any occassion. She associated herself with people who were just like her, her rebellious boyfriend, David, who would often not go home for days at a time, and her best friend, Chasity.
Chasity was a short five-foot-one, with blemish-free light brown skin, brown eyes and thick, curly hair. She had a belly-ring, and the first day back, she and Brittany practically wore the same thing- light colored cropped tees, and high waisted shorts. The two of them were nearly almost in sync when it came to outfits.
"So, Eva," Chasity said with gleaming eyes. "I heard you and Max are back together." She grinned wide, and Eva barely shielded a blush.
"My God," Eva breathed with a grin as she looked at the sky. Aubrey smirked and nudged Eva playfully.
"Yes, we are."
"How did that happen?" Brittany jumped in eagerly. "You two were broken up for a long time."
They were referring to Maxwell Cohen, Eva's on and off boyfriend since the tenth grade, who had managed to win her back for a third time on a rainy night in August, shortly after she'd gotten back home from Orlando. He had arrived at her front door, completely unexpectadly, with a bouqet of roses and a poem he had written for her, describing how he felt incomplete without her, and he plead for another chance. He had looked so cute and sincere with his damp hair laying on his face as rain fell on him, but he seemed oblivious to it, and Eva couldn't resist his offer.
"We're going to try to work it out, one last time," is all Eva would tell them.
"I am so happy for you," Chasity said preening. She looked around mysteriously. "Just be aware. Keep him in check, you know how many girls around here want him."
Eva rolled her eyes, remembering the exact reason they had broken up in the first place. She arched one perfect eyebrow and folded her arms over each other. "I know that, Chasity. But I don't need to hound Max like a dog. He's only got eyes for me. I mean, come on." She placed her hands at her sides. "I'm Eva Rosewell."
After the sound of the bell, a low, monotone noise, Aubrey and Eva walked together through the yard towards the front doors of the school. They stopped by people as if they were at a museum. Junior guys and a few seniors Aubrey did not know practically waited in line to give her hugs.
Afterwards, an intercom on the wall crackled to life and the headmaster's husky, Russian accented voice filled the yard.
"Good morning, students, and welcome back to a fabulous new usemester! I hope you all had a good semester. And to my freshman, I welcome you to a freshman orientation beginning promptly at nine. Homeroom is in session from eight-thirty to nine. Have a terrific day!" he bomed excitedly.
A pair of arms slipped around Eva's waist from behind.
"Beautiful," a deep voice whispered into her ear, and Eva swiftly spun around.
There stood Maxwell Cohen, wearing a white, collarded shirt, khaki cargo pants and tan Sperry's. She wrapped his muscular arms around Eva and kissed her tenderly. The two shared an adorable moment on the grass as Aubrey stood by awkwardly, using her phone to distract her.
They broke away and the trio walked together into the doors of Lakewood High. Maxwell waved at Aubrey and playfully nudged her, and he pulled Eva's hands into his.
The linoleum floors of the hallways were shiny and umblemished. This air smelled strongly of some type of cleanser, as if the janitors had cleaned every day since the summer commenced. Every bulletin board was empty, other than a few notices for club activites.
"What's up, Aubrey?" Max asked her, merely making friendly conversation. "How was your summer?"
"Oh, you know." Aubrey found herself turning red. It wasn't often Max spoke to her, unless he was with Eva, and she found him so attractive, it was hard not to blush. Eva was so incredibly lucky. "It was alright. Nothing special, really."
Being their first day back at Lakewood as a couple, Eva and Max had to make it known to everyone. They had broken up the May during junior year, and dozens of girls had been plotting their swoop. They starting wearing revealing clothes, holding doors for him- some girls even began sending him nudes over the summer. Girls filled his Facebook inbox ever since his relationship status had been changed to "single." But he only wantted Eva, and she only wanted him.
Another bell, louder that time, signaled the official start of the day. Eva and Aubrey shared homerooms, and Max's was down the hall. They walked hand in hand, earning various looks from people that walked by, even a few teachers ogled them, intrigued. Aubrey hung behind, walking between crowds of people, staring at her badly mangled fingernails.
"Walk us to homeroom, Max?" Eva broke in, as if she even needed to ask. A few random, nameless senior girls walked by and waved at Eva.
"Of course, my love." They shared another adorable moment, and Aubrey blew out a terse sigh as she hung behind them.
They passed a wall of senior girls Eva knew, and they all narrowed their eyes at the couple. Included in this crowd was none other than Bella Shapiro, the captain of Lakewood's prominent cheerleading squad, who glowered angrily at Eva as she stood with locked fingers with the sexiest boy at Lakewood.
To put it simply, Bella and Eva had been bitter enemies since freshman year. They had been pretty good friends in middle school, but things drastically changed, and not too many people knew the full story. Bella was nearly on the same social level as Eva- they were both pretty, well-known, and wealthy. They just simply did not like each other. And upon seeing Eva holding hands with Maxwell Cohen, her crush since sophomore year, her heart suddenly filled with an immense rage and envy.
During the summer, Bella had sent a few text messages Maxwell's way. She tried to flirt, discreetly, and she misinterpreted Max's friendliness as a mutual response. She was utterly infatuated with him.
"Max." Bella broke from her crowd of minions, who shot Eva blood chilling glares. That was when Max let go of Eva's hand.
"I'm confused," said Bella, tentatively. "When did you two get back together?"
Eva tightened her fists, and prepared to fire a nasty response, but Max stepped in.
"A little while ago." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. Somewhere nearby a teacher was heard scolding a student. "Anyway, um, it's nice to see you, Bella." He forced a friendly smile. "How was your summer?"
Aubrey eyed Bella and her clique. She knew from past experiences that Bella and Eva should never be in the same place for too long. Bella was incredibly beautiful, almost as beautiful as Eva.
"It was lovely," Bella said tensely, and she slowly retreated to the wall to join her clique. "But I should leave you and your girlfriend to go frolic in the halls." She shot Eva one more icy glare.
Eva stifled a chuckle. As the three of them neared Eva's homeroom, Aubrey said, "She looked really jealous."
"She is so pathetic. I actually feel sorry for her," Eva replied with a laugh. A short freshman boy nearly knocked into Aubrey as he scurried by.
"Please, no drama this year," Max said, looking directly into Eva's eyes as he cupped her face with his hands. "It's our senior year. I just want to focus on school, and us. That's all that matters to me right now. You know Bella's always been obessed with me, which is probably the only reason she hates you. She's jealous, because she knows you're my wife, and she's..."
"A lowlife," Eva filled in. She laughed wickedly and Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Oh well, she can go home to her posters of you on her wall tonight and cry."
Maxwell laughed, but a part of him didn't doubt that as a possibility. Bella was actually nuts enough to do that. "This year is going to be great. I can feel it. It's going to be perfect, for everyone."
"I can feel it too." Eva smiled. "Thanks for walking us, babe. I'll see you later."
"See you later babe. And later, Aubrey."
"Bye, Max." Aubrey smiled as Maxwell kissed Eva lightly on the lips, and she hastily scurried down the hall to his homeroom.
Just at that moment, Adam Berk, a tall, feared dean at Lakewood appeared from nowehere. "Girls, get to homeroom he boomed!" and Eva and Aubrey laughed as they went towards the door.
These were the little things about high school they had missed for the past two months. The day seemed to be progessing smoothly, and Eva could only predict that everything would be amazing in the end.