Bliss

Chapter 2

A girl named Kiori Nakamura moved into Avrilyn's old dorm, right next to Margo's. She was a twelve year old with dark eyes and black hair, much different from Avrilyn's bright eyes and blonde locks. And the worst part: she was a nasty little prankster.

She struck an hour after she arrived, gluing Natalie's blanket to her bed. After that, she replaced every holoture in the house with a picture of her making funny faces. Margo's only family holoture was switched with a close-up of Kiori rolling her tongue.

She was a menace.

Margo hardly visited her dorm anymore. She rode aimlessly through her town, passing several kids who seemed as dejected as her.

"Yo, Margo!" called a boy on a hover board. He drifted toward Margo, but she wasn't the one he was looking for. "Where's the Duster?"

Of course, he was talking about Avrilyn. Her bike skills had once again proved her fame, even though Margo was more skilled. Though no one really admitted it, Avrilyn was prettier. Sure, she could ride a bike. Margo could too, but no one noticed her.

"She got Implanted on Friday," Margo replied, not slowing down. She swept a strand of hair from her face.

The boy frowned. "Dang. I really liked her."

"As most do," Margo agreed.

But the boy didn't stop following her. He seemed lost in thought, most likely wondering if he ever had a chance with Avrilyn.

Maybe. Margo studied him. His dark hair was messy from the wind and falling in his eyes, but he made no effort to push it away. Avrilyn was into blonds, and this guy was much too pensive. Avrilyn liked talkative, popular guys. This boy seemed anything but.

"Have you seen her since?" he asked.

Margo stopped her bike, but the boy wasn't prepared. He sailed right past her, only turning around when he noticed she stopped.

"You'd never have a chance with her," she told him. "Not now at least. Sorry to burst your bubble, but she's different now. She's doesn't do commitments."

"I'm not—"

"Save it." Margo pedaled faster, but this time the boy didn't follow. Any time a boy tried to become Margo's friend, their intentions were clear. Use the gullible, less attractive sidekick to earn Avrilyn's affection.

Margo could hardly count her own imperfections: an upturned nose, a gap between her front teeth, eyes too big for her face, round cheeks that never thinned out, legs too long for her body, plus many more.

But she didn't let that slow her down. She knew she had more to offer than her looks. She refused to define herself by her appearance, as Avrilyn often did,

When Margo got home, all havoc broke loose. Kiori was doubled over laughing while Tess explained that Kiori froze the milk, mixed every box of cereal into one, and filled Liv's room with balloons.

"Seriously?" Margo asked Kiori. She nodded. "Impressive."

Protests rose throughout the kitchen. Margo ignored them and poured herself a bowl of mixed cereal. The milk was a bit of a problem, so she ate it dry while her dormates argued amongst themselves.

"Perfect combination of fruity and grains," she told Kiori.

She beamed.

"Margo, you're the oldest! Are you gonna let her do all this?" Tess exclaimed.

As the oldest, Margo was often expected to settle disputes among her dormates. But little Kiori gazed hopefully into Margo's eyes.

She's driving everyone crazy, Margo thought.

"Sort the cereal," she ordered, finishing hers with a satisfied crunch.