MY NAME IS Madeline Jane Lace.
I'm sixteen years old and I live on Cascade Street in Oregon Ohio. And I attend Newport High with my brothers.
Oh yeah, I should maybe mention that I have a few very overprotective, overbearing, overwhelming brothers.
The eldest is Maverick, but we all call him Ricky. He's twenty four and moved out with his fiancée Maya, because she's expecting my new niece or nephew in the next few months, so he only comes around the house once or twice a week. He's the one who practically raised us. My mom died after giving birth to me, which led my father in a downward spiral of alcohol and many other things a father of six children, the youngest only being almost two when he got into it, shouldn't be doing. When Ricky was nineteen Dad finally left and we haven't heard from him since.
The next is Ollie. He's twenty two and lives in his apartment building a few minutes down the road, so he's over almost everyday. His college, the one all the boys and myself want to attend, Blue Mountain, is super close to his apartment. He's the first to succumb to my puppy dog eyes and give me what I want, though.
Elwin, or Winn as everyone calls him, and Emmett are nineteen. They're identical twins and are the same in every way. They also go to college with Ollie.
My eighteen year old brother, Parker is probably one of the worst. He likes to think he's super tough when he really isn't.
And then there's me. I'm sixteen years old, and pretty boring. But I'm determined to change that.
~•~•~
I walk into my room and decide to get dressed then. Since it's the first day of school and it's cooling down, I decide on a dark orange skirt with a black tee shirt tucked into it.
I throw on a pair of sheer tights underneath it and put on my doc martens. As a second thought, I add a grey loose knit cardigan.
I pull my hair into a messy low bun and check myself in my full length mirror. I like it.
I throw my backpack over my shoulder and see the bathroom is finally open. I grin and drop my bag before booking it. I forgot my makeup bag in there and I need to get it before the boys find it and get rid of it.
I slam the door shut and am attacked with the scent of Winn's cologne.
I pull out my small bag of makeup from my drawer where I hid it. If the boys had it their way I wouldn't ever wear any, but I managed to get some.
I put some concealer under my eyes to brighten them and decide on a thin layer of mascara. I brush on some blush and put on my favorite vanilla lip balm.
I walk out of the bathroom and grab my bag before running down the stairs.
I sit down at the table where Emmett, Winn, and Parker are sitting. I grab a piece of toast from the middle of the table to see all their eyes on me.
"Good morning." I murmur around a mouthful of toast.
The boys stare at me as if I waltzed out in my underwear and called it an outfit.
"Oh, what?" I ask, rolling my eyes.
Then comes the onslaught of verbal assault.
"Why do you need to wear makeup?"
"I think your skirt is too short."
"What happened to the nice jeans we picked out for you?"
I groan and hit my forehead on the table.
"Because I like makeup. My skirt is not too short and I'm wearing tights underneath it. And the 'nice jeans' you're talking about are way too big for me." I answer them all.
I look up in time to see Ollie walk into the house. He walks right over to me and kisses my cheek.
"Morning princess. What're you up to?" He asks.
I sigh and say, "The boys are being jerks." He frowns and wraps an arm around my shoulders.
"Now, what's the problem?" He asks them. They all start blurting out what they think is wrong with my outfit at once.
"One at a time, holy shit." Ollie says, sighing.
"Her skirt is too short. We just moved here and we haven't even scoped out which boys are the pervs. She can't go to school and possibly be around some damn man whore without us knowing!" Emmett says.
"And why is she wearing makeup? We know she doesn't need it!" Parker demands.
"Why can't she just wear pants, Ollie?"
I put my face in my hands and mutter, "Ollie, help me. Please help me."
When he doesn't say anything I look up at him.
"I kind of agree with the boys." He says quietly.
"No, c'mon!"
"We don't know who we should keep you away from." He says apologetically, wincing a little.
I huff and stand up from the table, walking into the living room. I sit down on the couch and pull my earphones out of my bag, plugging them into my phone.
I shove them in my ears and start blaring American Idiot, one of my favorite songs.
When Emmett walks into the living room and says something, I smile when I can't hear a single thing coming out of his mouth.
He looks confused. Winn walks in and says something as well, looking annoyed when I start laughing a little. They come to the same conclusion at the same time, giving me a deadpan look.
I grin and stuff my phone into the pocket of my cardigan. They both yell something and I laugh again.
A minute later Ollie's in the room, shaking his head at me and motioning for me to take them out. I sigh and pull one out.
"Fine, you can wear that but you're gonna tell us if anyone makes a move." He tells me.
I smile and say, "Yes, sir." This makes Ollie smile.
Emmett and Winn glare at me from behind Ollie, making me smirk, stuffing my earphone back in.
~•~•~
"I think you have... Anatomy?" Parker says as we walk through the halls of our new school.
"Well, where's that?" I ask, stuffing my phone back in my cardigan pocket after sending the twins and Ollie a message saying we got here.
"I don't know." He replies in a duh tone. I roll my eyes.
I hear someone whistle and I snap my head around to see some douche in a letterman jacket smirking at me.
"Did he just whistle at you?" Parker asks, turning around to glare at him.
"She's not a dog, you asshole! Try that again and I'll beat your sorry ass!" He yells, flipping him off.
"I hate boys." He mutters, looking around the hallways again.
"Agreed."
After ten minutes of wandering, we find my
class just in time.
"Hey, I don't usually promote you using your phone while you're suppose to be learning, but call or text me if another person makes a move like that." He tells me. I smile and nod.
I walk into the classroom and look around. Not many people are here yet. Ollie always liked to be early in the first day of school and this has made Parker and I get into the habit as well.
"Hi, um, I'm Madeline Lace." I offer quietly, when I reach the teacher's desk.
She looks up and nods. "I'm Miss Stancel." She tells me. She looks to be in her mid- forties, has a deep red pixie cut and small, wrinkled, brown eyes. She's tall and scrawny, dressed in a navy blue pantsuit.
"Do I have a specific seat? Or do I just sit where I'd like?" I ask, fiddling with my fingers.
"Wherever you'd like is fine." She tells me, going back to the papers in her hands.
I give her a smile and turn around, looking for the perfect seat. Right in the front would be bad. Those kids are always scrutinized by the teacher.
I scan over the seats and decide on the one in the far back left, right beside the window.
I head down the isle and slide into the seat, setting my bag at my feet. Checking the time on my phone, I see I have fifteen minutes till class starts, so I pull my earphone out and plug them in. I play Wake Me up When September Ends, turning the volume up all the way.
I watch as people slowly file into the room. A few people stop and talk to Miss Stancel others just sit right down.
I pull out my notebook for this class and use a sharpie to write my name in bold, neat, letters on the inside of the cover.
Madeline Jane Lace.
I shut the book and just twirl the sharpie in my fingers.
A minute later, a guy walks into the classroom. He walks right past Miss Stancel and heads down the isle. He has dark hair, curling ever so slightly, and olive eyes, with a few freckles sprinkling his nose and cheeks.
A silver ring adorns his bottom lip, just adding to the look. He's tall, at least a couple inches over six foot, and fit.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice how good looking he is, in a careless but kept way.
I notice how almost every girl in the class turns and glances at him, some with their eyes wide, others with flirty smiles on their faces.
Making sure I don't look like that, I go back to my phone, changing the song.
In the middle of me going through my playlist, all of the songs overplayed, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I pull out one of my earphones and look up to see the guy.
He's smirking down at me as he says, "Um, you're in my seat."
I laugh and say, "You realize that is the most cliche thing you could possibly say?"
He looks confused so I elaborate.
"It's the first day of school and you're coming up the new girl, claiming I'm in your seat. Sorry, but it's not very original."
He huffs and rolls his eyes.
"Get out of my seat, sunshine."
"Watch it happen, pretty boy." I reply, smirking as I stuff my other earbud back in.
***
yayyyy, first chapter of my new book! i hope you liked it!
please comment and vote <3
- f a i t h y