Clashing Cliques

Lauren's POV

Jessica Langston. My best friend. The prettiest girl in the world. Way out of my league, but gosh would I love to make her mine. All 5 foot 9, blue eyed, blonde hair cheerleader, way out of my league right? A girl can dream, and she is my fantasy.

We've been friends since elementary school. We met in 2nd grade when my family moved to Washington. I walked in and she caught my attention instantly. While I was shy and didn't talk at first, she was a very outgoing and bubbly person. It took one "Hi!" and the rest was history.

She's a great person that has been there for me all these years, even through the divorce of my parents when my mother found out about my father's affair. That was a dark era for me, but she was my light through it all. I wouldn't have made it without her. She may be a cheerleader for our school, but she's my cheerleader and I am her biggest fan.

Ever since we moved here, the Langstons have been my family's saving grace. Whenever mom and dad would 'share words' as they put it, we just had to go next door. It was my second home. My brother and I's.

Nickolas Langston, Jess's brother, became my brother's, Joseph Kingsley's, best friend. While I had Jess, Joe had Nick. We were all inseparable and did everything together up until last year, when the boys went off to college. They weren't too far, but it felt like they were worlds apart since we all hung out almost every day. Nick is studying law and Joe is studying to be a doctor. They chose to study at Washington University so they would still be close to home, and close to us. My safe haven shortened, but I'm okay with that as long as I have her. She is my life line.

At school, everyone judges her and I for being friends even though we're not from the same 'cliques' as they call it. Everyone on the cheer team tells her all the time she should stop being friends with me since she's in the popular crowd unlike me. I'm just a basic goth girl that's the leader of the book club. Yep, I classify myself as a book nerd. I feel invisible in everyone's eyes except hers. She looks at me like I'm worth something. I don't know how to feel about that though, since I'm sure she is straight. Fingers crossed she isn't.

She's been acting different recently and she won't tell me what's going on. I feel like she is hiding something since we tell each other everything. I guess I'm a hypocrite since she doesn't know how I feel about her.

One time though, I saw her pull something out of her locker with a concerned look on her face. I tried asking what it was as she was reading it, but she said it was nothing and that I needn't worry.

I have a bad feeling something is to come.