Fallen

Chapter 4 "Sophomores"

Over a year ago since my last press-down—I survived another year at Madison High.

—No longer a fish!

"Lydia—you'd better get a move on it if you're riding in with me!" yelled Elizabeth.

Her voice traveled from the kitchen like a banshee, reverberating through the walls. I was getting more than adequate rest at night, so I had grown accustomed to my morning rituals.

In my groggy state, I sauntered over to the door and cracked it open, "Go ahead, Mom! I've got a ride!"

Although my freshman year was a little rough at Madison, I was a sophomore now. My parents promised to let up on me a bit and loosened the shackles; this still meant no Facebook, but at least I could wear make-up lightly under the supervision of my mom of course, and I had a little bit more freedom with my duds—within reason that is.

Yes! It was the dawn of a new era, and I was ready to conquer the world. Okay, maybe not the world, but at least Madison. And with my arch nemesis Samantha gone, nothing was going to hold me back. Plus, that would mean Jayden was free for the taking.

Relax—I'm still just a sophomore.

Jayden and John were the seniors, and they ran Madison now. As for Tabitha, her on-and-off again, rocky relationship with John was routine—They just loved hating each other.

With the house free to myself in the mornings, I started out my routine with one of my infamous morning showers. At least my showers were infamous to my dad being that I would spend over a half an hour in the restroom. He always complained—I didn't care. I'm a sophomore now!

In the midst of my beautification, I heard the honk downstairs.

Cameron!

With my towel wrapped around my torso, I made haste to the front door to greet him. Cameron was a little on the impatient side—Remember, he ain't the One, right? Well, he was my ride in, which was part of my parents cutting me more slack. Besides, they just loved Cameron's charismatic personality like everyone else that came into contact with him.

"You ready, baby girl!" said Cameron.

"I need help!"

"Ummmm—Well, we all knew that, sweetie, but what that got to do with me?"

I could see the snicker in Cameron's smile. He knew he wanted to fix me up because I was one of his projects, and he enjoyed it. Yet, he couldn't resist giving me a hard time about it.

"Ummm—Duuhhh? Help me with my hair, silly!" I retorted.

"Oooooh, girl—You supposed to done been fix that rat nest of yours!" snapped Cameron.

"Just help me, damn it!"

And as Cameron worked on my hair, I fixed my make-up. I also let the fashion king himself throw my duds together, giving me that dapper pizazz. I was no longer ordinary Lydia. This year, I was making a statement!

In the cafeteria, our old hangout spot had gotten much bigger. Tabitha wasn't quite Queen Bee just yet. Since Samantha and her entourage of seniors graduated, Betty took her place as the head cheerleader. Quite the opposite of Samantha, Betty was a brunette. Even more surprising, she had a Goth look to her, which caught on to the rest of the girls. Anyways, Tabitha was always around her.

"Hey, girlfriends!" yelled Cameron halfway across the cafeteria.

Of course, Cameron would have to announce himself in such an extravagant manner. He just adored the attention. As for me, not so much.

"Get over here, girlfriend," said Tabitha embracing us both with a mini-group hug.

Although we had grown out of our weekend slumber parties, Tabitha and I remained close friends. At least as close as we could due to the circumstances. Our friendship was growing apart, which was understandable. But I had an eerie feeling about Betty. Well, at least she wasn't a snob like Samantha was.

"Sassy!" said Betty, gazing directly at me.

"Well, that's all Cameron—He picked it out," I said, breaking eye contact with Betty.

She had this gaze that would just travel for days, and it made me feel awkward. She was friendly but overly friendly in my opinion. She possessed a type of charisma I couldn't quite place my finger on; it was like a trance, and she totally had Tabitha at her beckoning call.

"Lydia, we're having a get together this weekend—you should come down!" said Betty.

"I can't make any promises," I responded.

After all, I knew what my parents would say already—NO!

"Why don't you let me talk to your parents, Lydia," said Tabitha, batting her adorable blues, "We're due for a slumber party."

Tabitha was correct. My parents just loved her; she could tell them anything. Being that this would be my first time hanging out at one of those house parties, I was actually quite anxious to go.

"Sure—but only if you talk to them, Tabby," I said with a genuine smile.

"Is DJ—Xt-C coming?" said Cameron, breaking into one of his dance moves as he continued, "I could jam all night to his mix girlfriends."

"Of course!" said Betty, "What's a house party without the most sought after DJ in L.A?"

"What's this about a party," yelled a voice outside of our circle.

Awesomesauce!

"Dizamn!" sighed Cameron, fanning himself, "Here comes Mr. Eligible!"

"Don't even, Cameron—He's asking me out to the prom this year," snapped Tabitha.

"Aren't you with, John?" I said.

"That's old news, Lydia. Come on—keep up!" said Tabitha, giving a quick glance at her appearance.

Surrounded by several of Madison's finest star athletes, I couldn't help but gush. But I wasn't a freshman anymore—I had to play it down. Besides, my bestie was calling dibs on him.

"Hey, Lydia!" said Jayden.

I fought every fiber in me not to look out of the ordinary. I know I failed terribly, but I had to remain strong.

"Yo, Jayden—What's up?" I said, giving him a quick hug.

I saw it in Cameron's eyes as he snickered, "What's up blonde-sexy!"

Of course, Cameron looked more natural with his greeting. When it was Tabitha's turn, I couldn't help but feel a combination of envy and a little bit of greed. Could you blame me? When we were freshmen, she dated the Greek God, John. Now, she wants Jayden?

Not fair!

All because she called dibs on him first. Who cares anyways, Jayden was just some dumb jock that dressed like a cowboy.

Proms suck!

"Well, I'd better get to class," I said, sharply, making a quick dash out of the cafeteria.

I would be early, but I couldn't bear to see them two shacking up. I mean—the perfect couple. And if Jayden and Tabitha had children, they would be perfect models. The more I thought about it; I began to well up inside.

Stop being silly.

One thing was certain; I was going to this party!