I heard the clicks of high heels before I saw the person who was wearing them. I looked up to see my mom all decked and fabulous and not looking nearly as close to 45 as any woman had a right to. Her black hair was perfectly pinned up into a elegant knot at the back of her head and she wore a light yellow dress that wrapped around her perfectly.
"Ready to go?" She asked, reaching over to take her purse from the counter.
I nodded, and we went down our marble stair case to see my father and my brothers waiting there. The men of my family were all wearing fancy suits that probably cost $5,000 a piece and that didn't even include the shoes.
My father pecked my mother's temple and they smiled, turning towards the door. The servants at the door bowed slightly and pulled open the large wooden door that was the main entrance of our house. My parents, arm-in-arm, walked in perfect sync, as me and my brothers followed them.
A limo pulled up right when my parents' feet hit the last step, and our main driver, Henry, rushed to open the door for them.
"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Heywood." Henry greeted, gaining an acknowledging nod from my parents. They slid inside the car, and my brothers were laughing at some joke as they sat behind my parents.
"Hi Henry." I said, smiling tightly.
"You don't really seem excited about this party, miss." Henry said with a hint of a smile.
I shrugged. "Well, technically it's a back-to-school party and school is nothing to celebrate about."
Henry chuckled softly and I scrambled into the car none too elegantly as he closed the door behind me. I sat on the seat behind my brothers, frowning at their immaturity. I couldn't possibly believe they were actually seniors this year. They were twins and perhaps the most popular boys at school. Personally, I had no idea why. Sure, they were good-looking, and funny, I guess, but they were downright outrageous.
Auden, the older of my brothers, turned to me from his seat in front of me. "So Cass, are you excited for school tomorrow?" He didn't ask it kindly, more in a mean, annoying way.
Before I could answer, Alec, my other brother, cut in. "Of course she is, she's so popular and she can't wait to see her friends."
My stupid brothers laughed and turned around. I rolled my eyes, not letting their teasing get to me. I didn't really have a true friend at school, because all the kids at school were snobby teenagers that bragged all day long.
However hard I tried, I couldn't fit in at my school. Everyone was so obsessed with who was richer and who was wearing better clothes, and it annoyed the heck out of me. Somehow, I grew up in the exact same environment as everyone else at my school but I grew up to be different from them.
I couldn't understand them, and they couldn't understand me.
After a thirty minute drive, our car pulled up in the parking lot of the hotel where the party was at. I took a deep breath before stepping out of my limo, my two-inch heels hitting the ground. There were paparazzis crowding around trying to get footage of the owner of Heywood Bank and his family. They bustled and pushed each other as my family and I walked briskly towards the entrance of the hotel. Not that I wasn't used to this kind of stuff; Heywood Bank was started by my great-great grandfather, and I was literally born into an elite life.
As we entered the ballroom, I heard animated chatter from the crowd that had already assembled there. Tables were set up, vases full of fresh flowers adorning them. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, lighting up the entire room with a bright orangish glow. Servants walked around handing out refreshments and small portions of food. I asked for a ginger ale, and it was delivered to me in a champagne glass. The liquid fizzed and bubbled, looking just like champagne, and I guessed they wanted to make me feel special and 'grown up.' More than last year, anyway, when I was a measly freshman.
I sighed, looking around the room. The ballroom was beautiful, I had to admit. The walls were perfectly carved wood, with vintage-looking torches hanging giving it a Renaissance-like look. The floor was made of squeaky-clean marble, and tapestries hung from the walls with texts that said things like "for another great year in Lockwood Academy!" and "good luck seniors for your last year!" and other overly-excited comments. Students and parents caught up on each other's lives, and it was a perfect chance for everyone to show off new designer clothes and accessories.
I was bored already, and it wasn't even fifteen minutes into the party. I chugged down the remainder of my ginger ale and placed the glass on one of the tables. I was scanning the room for people walking around with food when I saw a group of girls walking towards me. I fought a groan and plastered on a fake smile I mastered over the years of smiling for the public.
"Oh my gosh Cass I haven't seen you in like two months!" A girl with perfect curls falling down her shoulders exclaimed, and I smiled and nodded.
"It's so good to see you guys," I said, even though internally I was racking my brain trying to remember the names of these girls. They were just another group of typical girls at my school that probably wouldn't talk to me unless it was for some kind of party like this. They had to look good in front of the cameras, the other families, and the teachers.
They were all so fake it disgusted me.
And the most terrible thing is that I was even more fake than they were.
"I hear there's going to be a new boy in our grade." One of the girls said (Stacy was her name I think) and I knew they were in full gossip mode.
"Yeah and apparently he's poor. He's getting a big scholarship or something." A girl said in a hushed whisper. She said the word poor as if it was something foreign and strange.
"He's not poor," another girl said, rolling her eyes, "just like, average."
They all nodded, even though probably to them poor and average didn't have a difference.
"Ooh! Is that the new design of Louis Vuitton?" The girl with beautiful curls said, pointing to Stacy's bag.
"Oh yeah isn't it absolutely perfect?"
At that moment I knew the conversation was over.
Even though their topic had moved on, my mind was still thinking of the new boy. Our school adored rich kids, and the richer you were the more respect you got. It was messed up, but that's how things were. People that couldn't afford to go to our school looked up to it like it was heaven on earth. So for someone who couldn't afford to go to this school, he must have been real darn smart to get in. And I wondered how he would be treated, because our school wasn't really used to having non-elite students. To put it plainly, the main purpose of our school was to educate future company owners to be able to live in the high society and be elegant and smart in whatever we rich kids were pursuing.
What would an average person who doesn't have the same life styles and family backgrounds as us get in that?
I frowned, lost in thought, when someone patted my shoulder. I whirled around, almost tripping over my feet, to see it was my mom.
"Oh, hi mom." I said.
She made a slightly annoyed, urgent look. "Cassandra, please go talk to your friends, you're looking like a misfit standing alone by yourself."
What friends? I was tempted to ask, but I kept my mouth shut.
Instead I said, "of course mom," and I walked into a crowd of girls in my grade, acting as if I was interested in whatever the heck they were talking about.
After ten minutes of nodding my head and smiling, I was so bored I was tempted to make a break for it. I glanced around and saw that the emergency exit wasn't that far away, and no one would stop me except for my family, who were so preoccupied at that moment they wouldn't notice for a good half hour. Henry could drive me home quickly, and I'll spend the rest of the day watching a movie or doing something fun or productive instead of something as ridiculous as this.
I sighed, knowing what would happen afterwards wouldn't be worth escaping the world's most boring party for two hours.
So much screaming and lecturing from my mom.
I could picture it already.
I wondered why I hate my life so much. Every one else around me seems to be fine being rich and showing off to the world. I wish I could just blend in.
And believe me, I have tried.
Suddenly, the conversation between the girls around me stopped. I frowned; I hadn't been paying attention.
I saw the expressions of the girls around me: excited, awed, admiring.
I followed all of their gazes to see Rebecca Amador—the school's IT girl, to put it simply—and her family entering the ballroom. Rebecca had perfect blonde hair that fell over her shoulder like fluffy streams of clouds and her beautiful figure is the type of body most girls try to gain in their entire lives. She also had the best grade in the entire school, and being a senior, she was most likely to be the valedictorian this year. Not only all of that, but she was the daughter of Daniel Amador, the owner of the famous Amador Hotel, which was perhaps the most successful hotels in all of the United States.
Rebecca walked elegantly towards her group of friends. She walked perfectly; confident yet not self-conceited, lady-like yet not ridiculously girly, and purposeful yet not rushed.
She looked like a model walking down the runway. A woman knowing what she was doing. Someone who was meant to be in the elite society.
She passed by us, her hair streaming behind her. Her black dress frilled around her so beautifully I would have mistaken it as a movie scene which had been retouched several times. I heard my "friends" sigh in admiration, and I thought of what probably every girl around me was thinking.
Why couldn't I be her?
I cleared my throat. "Excuse me." I murmured, slipping out of my little group. I walked to the lady's room, needing to clear my head.
I walked in front of the sink, and put my hands on the counter. I closed my eyes for a few seconds, taking deep breaths. I didn't know what I was so bothered about. Of course, I envied Rebecca (what girl didn't, really?) but jealousy wasn't the reason for my annoyance. I wasn't much to care about looks. So what could it have possibly been?
I opened my eyes to meet a pair of moss-green ones.
My eyes.
I couldn't help but to think they were slightly too wide, making me look innocent and childish.
The thin layer of mascara made me look like those cartoon babies on TV that take their mother's lip stick and smother it on their face.
I shook my head lightly, feeling ridiculous. I was probably just dreading the next day, which was my first day of sophomore year.
I walked out the bathroom to see, in the center of the room, my brother Auden talking to Rebecca. Auden's hand was laced around Rebecca's waist, and she laughed at some joke he had said.
Right. Auden started dating Rebecca a month before school ended last year. How could I forget? Auden Heywood—the son of the Heywoods and the older brother of the school's most popular twins—and Rebecca Amador—the only daughter of Daniel Amador and the prettiest, smartest girl at school—going out was the biggest gossip topic at Lockwood Academy for about two weeks.
When Auden leaned in and kissed her gently, it was like it was only them in the room. Rebecca seemed to fit into Auden like the perfect puzzle piece.
At that moment I realized why I was so bothered.
Because Rebecca fit into this world so perfectly, while I, on the other hand, stumble around trying so hard to fit in only to fail over and over again.
How can we both be the female species of the human race and be so different?
They broke away from their kiss, looking into each other's eyes so lovingly I wanted to yell or tear my hair out or cry.
Not that I ever will, not in front of any of these people.
* * * * *
Once I got home, I wore a T-shirt and sweatpants and flopped into bed, my face burying into my pillow. I groaned loudly, just as my maid Melissa walked in.
"Miss Cassandra? Are you feeling alright?"
I turned my head sideways towards her, "I'm fine. Just tired."
Melissa pursed her lips and scrunched her worried eyebrows together. Her eyes roamed around my face trying to see if I was hiding anything. I didn't meet her gaze and stared straight ahead of me. Finally she gave up and tapped her chin unsurely.
"Okay...well if you need any assistance please ring for me."
I gave her a smile. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."
"Good night, miss Cassandra." She said, obviously knowing it was the end of the conversation.
"Goodnight Melissa."
I closed my eyes and hoped that tomorrow wouldn't be as bad as I was expecting it to be.
******
So that's the first chapter! I wanted to start a new story, because why not?
Just to say, all these characters, company names, locations, are fictional. If any of these things or people are real, it is purely coincidental. This story takes place in New York, but the school Cass goes to, the neighborhood she lives in, etc. is fake, so don't tell me they don't exist, because yes, I made it up.
This story will be focusing on elite life, spies, danger, and the struggles of a teenage celebrity. Please vote and comment to let me know how you felt about this chapter and what you want from this story!
Thanks :)