Aspen Heights, Book 1: Chosen

Livia

"Who's that girl?" asked Brianna, sneering at the newbie.
"I don't know, but I don't like them together."
Though of course I knew who she was. How could I forget? She was my enemy. But I truly had forgotten her name. It was something super weird like Leta or Alina or something. And how did Brianna not even remember her face?
"She's really pretty," said Brianna, looking envious. Was she actually this stupid? Hadn't she seen that girl crash my party? What kind of a friend was she? "Ugh, you don't know anything Brianna!" I spat angrily.
"Ok, well I'm leaving cause I have school to do. Bye." Brianna yawned, standing up from her stool.
Yeah right, school. As if Brianna ever did school!
"Whatever!" I shouted in exasperation. I smoothed my dress and twirled a strand of hair around my finger. I glanced back over my shoulder and could see Ben in the next isle, with the girl peering over his shoulder. "Did you find anything?" she asked, hopping up and down impatiently.
"Yeah, I think I did," said Ben sweetly.
Ew. Watching them interact was disgusting.
He handed her a big, old, boring-looking book.
"What is this?" she asked, curiously, her hands dropping with the weight of the book.
"It's the land records," Ben replied smartly. "It'll have any and all information about what this place used to be," he explained. He was staring at her almost as intensely as I was at him.
"Really? That's awesome!" the girl said cheerily. The way he looked at her made me want to punch something, which wasn't normal for me because I rarely engaged in physical activity, especially if it might make me sweat!
"Yeah, I've actually read it before," said Ben. Of course he had. He's such a book worm. I hate books, but hey, you know what they say, opposites attract! "And it's pretty interesting. People say that this school was built on a palace of some sort. An entire underground metropolis. There were two groups of people that lived there. The Aspens and the Hiats. I guess they got into some big war. They fought, and the Hiats won. Everyone says it wasn't fair, that they cheated. That they weren't good people. They destroyed anyone of Aspen descent, so that no one could overtake them," he continued.
All this chit chat about old historical stuff was beginning to bore me. My eyes drifted from Ben to the girl and I noticed how her wispy, golden brown curls hung around her face, making it seem as if she was glowing. Brianna was right, and I hated how naturally pretty she was. She didn't wear makeup, but it didn't matter. She didn't seem to try at all. And yet, Ben clearly liked her, and he was doing a really bad job of hiding it. He was trying to sound all intelligent to impress her. He never tried to impress me. I guess he knew he didn't have to bother. Maybe the way he didn't want me was what attracted me to him.
"Well, what happen to them?" she asked, obviously genuinely interested in the old myth. In fact she seemed more interested in the history of the school than the totally hot guy standing right next to her. Was this girl totally clueless?
"No one really knows exactly," Ben replied mysteriously. "They just disappeared one day. And then they built the school."
The girl looked confused. "But you said it was some sort of underground metropolis." Ben looked equally flustered. "Did I? I thought I just said it was a metropolis," he scratched his head trying to recall his exact words.
"I coulda swore you said underground," she persisted, baffled.
"That wouldn't even make sense, would it? I don't really remember, honestly. Why don't you check it out so you can read it for yourself?" he suggested, changing the subject.
"Thanks," she replied, running her fingers along the books tattered spine. They walked back to the counter so she could check the book out using her student ID. I cringed as their fingers brushed. I couldn't watch anymore, it was simply disturbing! I got up abruptly and stormed off to my room, nearly knocking into the girl as I passed the desk. "Watch it!" I yelled, annoyed. I couldn't stand that girl. I decided then and there that I would do whatever it took to bring her down. To get Cassie back, to win Ben over, and maybe even get her kicked out of this school, if that's what it takes! Who did she think she was, barging in here, snatching my best friend, my chances with Ben, and my popularity away? This was a disgrace. It had to end. Now.