Classes are boring as usual and I am especially keen to see Tom, so I paid even less attention than usual. Unfortunately he wasn't in any of my first 2 classes so when the bell rings for break, I can't get out of there fast enough. Pushing through the crowds in the hallways I emerge at the year 10 quadrangle and wait to see if any of my friends are there. Realising I must look funny standing there by myself, I go up some small steps and walk towards the lockers that surround the quad. Stopping at my locker I turn the dial on the lock and open it. Inside I grab my books for the next periods and replace them with last periods. Zipping up my bag I turn around and look down to see if any of my friends are around, when they're not to be seen I begin to walk towards the canteen.
Feeling awkward walking by myself down the path that goes along the side of the year 9 and 8 quads I stop and slip in an earphone and press play. Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie by ABBA is playing and I instantly feel more confident, as I am rounding the corner I pass my sister, who as usual is surrounded by all her friends. A boy, whose name I think is Brayden, is staring at her cleavage which is just showing as the top button of her shirt is undone. As I am walking past she doesn't even acknowledge me but continues to talk with her friends.
To say Kat is popular is an understatement, she's basically the queen bee of year 9, even though I'm pretty sure half the year hates her, they're all to scared of her to do anything. She's friends with lots and lots of guys in all the year groups but she only has a couple of girl friends, who are soaking up the attention, also I notice, following her latest trend with thick black eyeliner around their eyes. Although Lily and Malia may look like they're just attention seeking they're actually 2 of the people who have stayed faithful to Kat through everything these past few years because, although the boys protect her, most of them just want in her pants and would bolt at the slightest sign of trouble.
Continuing my walk I'm in the year 8 quad now, looking around at the 'fresh meat' so the boys call them, I notice that a group of pretty girls are looking towards Kat and her group dreamily like she's their inspiration or something. Rolling my eyes at the scene I continue heading to the maple tree behind the canteen where our bench is. Finally after walking to the other side of the year 8 quad grass, I arrive on the pavement with the canteen in front of me, looking around I can't see anyone I want to talk to so I head around the back of the canteen and cafeteria building to the massive oval, where our bench is located. I put my hand up to my eyes to shade the hot sun from my vision and see Hazel ushering me over to the bench, I smile back at her and quickly walk to the middle of the grass towards my friends. Sitting down next to Hazel in the shade of the maple tree I dig out my roll and chuck my bag under the table.
"I've been looking for you guys everywhere!" I exclaim waving my hands in front of me.
"Well this is where we always sit so why would it be any different?" Hazel questions with a raised eyebrow.
"Yea whatever, just thought you might be at the lockers or quad." I say as I begin to unwrap the glad wrap covering my lunch. Looking up I notice for the first time that Tom is sitting with us.
"Oh hi." I say. He waves and grins with a mouth full of food. It's not until I look away I realise I'm grinning back and I can't help but get butterflies just looking at him. Cameron is sitting next to him with an arm around Bella who is on his other side. Bella is looking at me funny so I raise an eyebrow, she gives me a look and mouths that we'll talk later.
"What are you girls hiding?" Cam asks us with a smirk.
"Girl business." Bella says to him winking. Hazel looks at Bella and I,
"I hope I get in on this."
"You will, Layli's house after school?" Bella says looking at me.
"Whatever, I'm curious." I say before taking a bite of my roll. What is Bella up to?
"Yep we'll be there." Cam says looking at Tom with a wink. Bella wacks him on the arm and he grabs her bag before running off with a laugh. She gets up laughing and chases after him. I look up and notice Tom looking at me and begin to feel a warmth coming to my cheeks and I know I must be blushing,
"What?" I ask him self concious. "Is there something on my face?"
"No," he laughs, "I was just thinking, there's a party on tomorrow night and I was wondering, do you guys wanna come?" Cam runs down the slope, which opens out to the big oval before running up again, running past us and around the grass area where our bench is situated, Bella in toll. Giving up she sits back down with a plomp and shakes her head laughing.
"He's like a fricken year 7." She laughs again. A party? I know it's stupid with who my mum and step dad are but I realise the sad truth, I've never actually been to a high school party before. I've seen Chelsea and her friends dancing on her snapchat story a million times before but I've never actually been invited to one.
"Yea sounds good," Hazel smiles at him "Layli?"
"Yea, ok." I smile hesitantly.
"What's this about?" Bella asks still red cheeked and puffing, why anyone would choose to run around in this heat is beyond me.
"Tom's invited us to a party Saturday night, you in?" Hazel says excitedly.
"Whose is it? Time? Place? Info please." Bella says throwing her hands in the air. Whose party? Oh yea that hadn't even occurred to me, who would be there? What was I going to wear? I'm suddenly very nervous, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all, I mean I suck in the spotlight. No, new year, new confidence.
"It's a mate of mine's from Mt Shona. His parents are out of town and you know, that's what all people our age do when the parentals are away for the weekend." He says with a magic grin. Yea, that's not what I do, I usually sit by myself watching movies and eating food or I am looking after my sisters. I frown, if I did that mum and John would kill me. They think I'm the responsible one out of us four girls, guess being a single child wouldn't be so bad after all.
"Ok and what time does it start?" Hazel asks.
"8:00 but everyone knows you get there at least an hour later." Yep, that one I knew, "and I'll text you guys the address tonight if you want."
"Yea that'd be great," Hazel says as she digs her phone out of her pocket. Bella and I do the same and we all exchange numbers, just as Cam sits back down with Bella's bag in hand.
"Gave up babe?" He asks with a glowing red face.
"Yes, like 10 minutes ago!" She laughs. He notices us exchanging numbers,
"You better not be hitting up my girl." He says directed at Tom.
"Nah bro just giving her the deats about Mark's tomorrow night." He says reassuringly.
"My girl going to a party?" He laughs until he has tears in his eyes.
"Excuse me?" Bella says pretending to be hurt. Wiping his eyes he says with a straight face,
"No offence or anything but you girls are like innocent, Layli you haven't even lost your party virginity." Blushing I look down and grab my bag from under the table, just as I sit up the bell goes. Relieved I get up with Bella and Hazel in toll and together we go to our next classes.
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"Ahhh" Bella, Hazel and I sigh. We're lying on my bed with the aircon blowing fresh cool air onto our sweating bodies. Changed into a black bintang singlet and light denim shorts my body is already cooling down from the boiling hot walk home. After school, our squad headed over to McDonalds at the shopping centre across the road for a 30c soft serve cone, which turned into about 3 and some $1 fries. We all made plans to head to the beach tomorrow before the party. We agreed to meet at the train station tomorrow morning, spend the day at the beach then the girls and I are coming back to my house to get ready, while the boys are going to Cameron's. We caught the bus to Bella and Hazel's houses so they could grab stuff for a sleepover and tomorrow, then a bus back to mine. But unfortunately the bus stop is 10 minutes from my actual house, and 10 minutes walking in 38 degree heat, well it's not pleasant. Lying on my bed it's just past 4:30 and we can hear Kat's music from here. I turn on the tv and begin to flick through the channels, "No, no, no." Sliding off my bed I walk over to one of my small book shelves and grab my big crate of nail polish, feet scrubbers, files and scissors.
"If we're going to look good tomorrow we have to have acceptable nails." I say putting my armful on the floor and plomping down with it.
"Amen," Hazel says as she and Bella jump onto the floor to join me. Grabbing a pair of scissors and a file I begin to clip at my toe nails before smoothening them out with the nail file. We hear a ding. I stand up and walk over to my bedside table where my phone is on charge, grabbing it and sitting back down I read the text. "It's from Tom." My heart suddenly beats faster and I wonder what he has texted.
Bella and Hazel are looking at me expectantly, opening the message I am a bit disappointed that it's just the address of the party like he promised. "It's the address of the party," the girls get dings shortly after and suddenly I'm nervous about the party again.
What if Chelsea is there? Oh yuck, no doubt she will be, I mean she's like the queen of our school and she gets invited to every freaking party no matter what school is hosting it. Sometimes I wonder why I'm not more popular, It's not like I'm ugly. I'm a fairly average height and your typical blonde haired, blue eyed, tanned type of girl. And there's the fact my mum and stepdad are famous it's not like no one knows, but I don't broadcast it to the world either. Picking out a mint green for my toes and a white for my fingers I begin painting.
"Hey, what bathers are you guys wearing tomorrow?" Hazel asks as she paints her toes hot pink. That's an unusual colour for her, usually she goes for the darker more subtle colours. Not that I'm complaining, it looks good with her medium olive skin. Hazel reminds me of a younger Nicole Scherzinger from the pussy cat dolls, with her long black hair and brown eyes, which I have always loved. They have this hint of amber in them and even though Hazel thinks it's weird I love them they're so much more unique than my blue eyes.
"I brought my blue and black triangle bikini," I tune back into the conversation and say,
"Oh I love that one! What about you?" Turning to Hazel I ask.
"I brought my black fringe bikini, you know the strapless one with the tassel things all over the top."
"Yes! That one is hot." Bella says. I have so many bikini's in my wardrobe It's going to take me hours to decide. Credit to having well payed guardians. I can over spend on shopping and It's like a cent to them, most of the time I'm pretty good, I don't like to rub it in peoples faces that I have lots of money, so I limit myself. But when mum, me and her designer friend go shopping, well it's a different story, they like to have 'options' so they call it. Finishing up my now mint toes with a clear top coat, I make a decision.
"I think I'm going to wear my mint green bikini, you know the one that's got a bit of a twist in the centre. It'll match my toes." I smile waving them in the air.
"We're gonna look hot tomorrow! Let's hope there's some cute guys there to appreciate it." Hazel winks.
"Yes-sir-y." I say starting my fingers.
"Well you guys can do that, but me and my hot piece of man will be keeping our eyes on each other."
"Oh, I'm sure you will." Hazel grins at her. We all start laughing. Bella and Cam are actually so cute together, but how she can put up with that boy is beyond me. We're all painting our fingers now and I decide it's too quiet. Finishing the first coat of white on my right hand I get up, careful not to bump my still drying toes and head over to my macbook. Opening iTunes I connect it to the bluetooth and turn on some music. Fancy by Iggy Azalea begins playing over my sound system and we all start to sing.
John got it rigged up for my 16th birthday and It's my prized possession. The speakers are on the walls in each corner of the room and although they are little, boy they can make some noise and it's good quality sound too. Sometimes the girls, Cam and I pretend we're in a club, because we're to young to go into an actual one, except for the under 18 nights. But they are pretty lame, just 13 year olds thinking they're great in skimpy clothes.
Dancing back over to our little nail salon, stereo remote in hand, I sit down and continue painting my nails bobbing along to the music. A while later, we all have dry fingers and toes and are lying on my bed checking our various apps. My feet are dancing along to the current song which happens to be Radioactive, grabbing the remote I turn up the volume until it's blaring through the speakers and I'd be giving Kat a run for her money. Playing my Kim Kardashian game I am buying new outfits for my photo shoot when It occurs to me, I haven't even decided what I'm wearing tomorrow night. Jumping off my bed I walk over to my walk-in and throw open the double doors, walking in I begin looking at possible outfits.
"What are you guys wearing tomorrow night?" I yell out over the music. Hazel is standing in with me two seconds later and says,
"I'm wearing my tight maroon shorts and this." She grabs a black crop top out of her bag that has round gold buttons down the centre.
"Can you help me choose something," I ask as I flick through my racks of clothes.
"Well you have that much stuff in here, you must be able to find something." Bella says joining me flicking through the racks. Finally deciding on some black high wasted shorts, a light denim colour bralette and finally a white oversized cardigan made from a mesh type material. Happy with my outfit, we walk out of the wardrobe and head back onto my bed. Swing by Savage is blaring over my speakers and feeling the bass pumping around my room It's like the beat is calling me. Jumping up I wait for the chorus then start swinging my hips to the beat and drop to the floor and back up again while dancing around my room.
Turning around I see Bella videoing me and poke my tongue out at her before pulling Hazel up with me and we drop to the ground and up again, back to back. Before long Bella is joining our little dance party and we all hold hands jumping around the room together. I wonder if people will be doing this tomorrow night? I mean it'd be awesome if people actually grind together like in the movies. Probably not though, like most peoples friends don't even want to do that sort of stuff up against each other.
I guess I'm lucky my friends actually like having fun. Even in the under 18s nights at the clubs I can see people judging us, apart from all the horny teenage guys of corse, but Cam and some of his friends make sure nothing bad happens to us. Tomorrow will definitely be a fun experience, as long as we make the right choices. I frown, what if people start drinking? I suddenly decide to make a promise to myself, that even if my friends drink I won't, mum and John trust me and I wouldn't want to do anything to break that trust. Some people are too quick to judge me, I mean they think I'm all about the partying and drinking but I think having my 'parents' in the famous business has made them more protective over what me and Kat do, although she's never cared to follow that, me on the other hand.
"I'm all sweaty again, as much fun as that was." Bella pants.
"What's up chicky? You're frowning." Hazel says as we flop back down onto my bed.
"Just thinking. Hey guys, do you think we should make a pact for tomorrow?"
"Like what?" Bella says propped up on her elbows.
"Tomorrow, we should do what ever we want. Don't let anyones judging and bad influencing effect us."
"That's actually a good idea, I'm in."
"Yea me too, we can express ourselves without giving a f**k." Hazel grins at us.
"To not giving a f**k." I say raising my coke in the air. We all clink bottles. Well tomorrow is definitely going to be interesting, I grin. We get up dancing again as Pitbull comes over my speakers.
"Hey girls. " My mum smiles from the door way of my bedroom.
"Oh hey Liz, Hi." Hazel and Bella say looking up from their phones.
"Hi mum."
"You girls hungry? You could make pizza's if you like?"
"Starving, you guys want to?" I say, jumping off my bed. I'm halfway out the door when they reply, they grin running down the stairs with me. Running into the kitchen puffing the chef looks up grinning and spinning the pizza dough on his fingers.
"Whoh, I thought people only did that in movies." Bella says starring at the chef. I feel bad because I don't even know his name. A few minutes later we are all attempting to spin the dough with little success. My growling stomach reminds me why we came in here, putting the dough onto the bench I begin rolling the edge of the round dough into a crust. I spread some homemade tomato paste onto the base followed by bacon, onion, capsicum, mushroom, some spicy sausage and cheese over the top to finish it off. Bella and Hazel put their various topping on and the chef puts them into the oven. He tells us that he will let us know when they're ready.
15 minutes later and we're on the floor of my room eating our warm cheesy pizza's.
"Mmm it's like heaven in my mouth." I moan
"More like sex in my mouth." Bella says swallowing a mouthful.
"Omg I have to send that to Cam." Hazel laughs grabbing her phone. Bella and me pose with our pizza in hand while Hazel sends a snapchat to Cameron. Laughing we wait for his reply. Hazel holds up her phone to us, '
Daym, you girls can see what that feels like from me tomorrow.
Omg what the f**k is he saying? He's gonna have sex in our mouths? Voicing my thoughts Hazel laughs harder at his reply.
Lol that's defs what i meant ;)
Laughing I shake my head. How does Bella put up with this crazy boy. Lying on my green fluffy rug I pat my full belly. Shouldn't have eaten all that, especially if I'm going to be showing my stomach all day tomorrow. It doesn't effect Hazel and Bella they could eat a horse and they wouldn't gain a kilo. Sometimes their weight actually scares me, like I am the more sporty one out of us all, but when you look at them you can literally see the bottom bone of their ribs that's how skinny they are. Me on the other hand, well I have a more muscular stomach, it's not a six pack or anything but it's definitely toned, well ok I guess I am pretty skinny as well, but that's because I keep active.
Jumping off my rug I walk towards the draws under the wall mounted plasma and begin to pull out potential DVDs. After a few minutes there's a large selection on my bedroom floor and we begin to sort them into yes and no's for tonights entertainment.
"So down to business what were those looks you guys were passing with each other at lunch?" Hazel asks sitting up on my bed.
"Good question," I turn and look up to Bella eyebrow raised.
"Well," Bella says dragging out the word, "Cam might have mentioned something to me the other day and at lunch I realised it's true."
"Well, spill!" Hazel says throwing her hands in the air.
"Layli likes Tom."
"What?" Hazel and I chorus.
"Well Cameron pointed it out and now that I've seen you drooling over him for the past week I can see it."
"I have not been drooling over him! We're just becoming friends." I say defensively. And I will admit sometimes I get butterflies around him but that's only because I don't know him well enough not to feel shy around him. But liking him?
"Bull," Bella says, "We all agreed he looked cute in the pictures of him and Chelsea last year, and now he's single. Come on Layli it's obvious!"
"But I don't, so how can it be obvious? I've only known him for a week, how is that long enough to like someone?" I say my voice raising. After a few minutes of silence I realise Hazel has been awfully quiet this whole conversation. Slowly a smile spreads across my face.
"What?" Bella says.
"I don't like Tom, but I know someone who does." I am grinning at Hazel now.
"Me?" she begins to blush and Bella squeals,
"You can't both go for the same guy! It's like a freaking movie!" At this Hazel and I burst into giggles and soon Bella joins us until we're all in tears. Wiping my eyes I say seriously,
"I don't like him, Hazel I'm seriously ok if you want to have a 'thing' with him." Even as I say this I am having doubts if I truley would be ok with them.
"Thanks Layli, that's really cool of you." To that I get up and walk towards my walk-in-wardrobe.
"I'm having a shower, If we're gonna look good tomorrow I need to shave." At that my two best friends burst out laughing again and I head through the door.
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Ohh things are heating up, a whole day at the beach with Tom? Sounds good huh.
Thank you again for reading this and I hope you're enjoying Layli's story so far. As always feel free to comment and leave feedback for me and don't forget to vote.
Emily xx