We'll Be Counting Stars

The Agreement

"Hey Darcy!" Darcy looked up at the person who dared disturb her.

Looking up she realized that it was none other than Tiffany Jacobs. The most popular girl in school. But that's not the point.

In her hand she held a worn leather notebook bound at the spine with scratchy twine and old duct tape. A purple ribbon (used as a bookmark) hung lifelessly on the outside. Darcy was furious. What Tiffany held was personal. Nobody else was to know what she writes. It was social suicide to admit personal things such as writings.

"Where did you get that." An enraged girls' voice spoke from the depths of Darcy's body.

"So not why I'm here." Tiffany snapped her gum.

"Give it back! It's not yours!" Darcy tried grabbing it from Tiffany but she held it out of Darcy's reach.

"Not so fast."

"What do you want." Darcy declared.

"To be prom queen. I've read what you wrote and if you tell anybody what I'm about to say, I'll destroy you. But anyways, your writing is amazing and very persuasive. So what you're going to do for me is write a short essay, about four or five lines, on why everybody should vote for me. Everything you write about me MUST be positive. If I don't see it on flyers around the school by next Monday, I'll tell people what you write. Your social life will end. Well...not that you ever had one in the first place." Tiffany cackled.

"Nope. No deal." Darcy folded her arms across her chest and stood defensively.

"Okay then. You asked for it." Tiffany spat.

Stepping up onto Darcy's table, Tiffany opened the book to the first chapter Darcy had ever written.

"Attention students! Little miss Darcy here would like for me to read a bit from her personal journal!" Tiffany smiled proudly as if she were accepting an Academy Award.

The entire student body turned and faced their 'leader' anticipating what she had to say.

"Stop." Darcy mumbled under her breath.

Tiffany rolled her eyes.

" Staring out into the open sea, Georgia sighed. The anticipation was killing her. She had waited all sum--"

"OKAY STOP!" Darcy screeched.

"So you'll do it?" Tiffany whispered as the students in the lunchroom returned to their previous states.

"Yes." Darcy grumbled regretfully.

"Oh goody! But remember the consequences." Tiffany stuffed the notebook in her shoulder bag and walked away, her friends trailing closely behind.

Darcy had been owned. But she wasn't going down without a fight. This war had only just begun.

"Paybacks a bitch." Darcy tossed her lunch, slung her bag over her shoulder and headed towards her locker.

The rest of the day, she spent planning out what kinds of 'positive' things she could write about Tiffany. She had found a loophole in the whole agreement and she was going to use it. That night she slept peacefully, despite the day dress her parents had bought her (for not being there for her birthday) that had found its way into her closet.

Saturday morning came earlier than planned but Darcy got straight to work on her flyers:

Hello fellow students! I am here today to tell you why you should vote for Tiffany Jacobs for this years Prom Queen.

She'll ruin your life if you don't!

Happy Voting!

Xx, Anonymous.

Bella sat back in her desk chair and admired her work. There was no way Tiffany could ever back herself out of this one.

That next Monday morning, surprisingly her mother was home.

"Mum?!" Darcy shrieked.

"Darcy? There's no need to yell at this early morning hour!"

"But mum. You're......home!?" Darcy gasped.

"Yes Darcy. I am. I know your father and I haven't always been there for you but we've promised ourselves we would. So we both decided to work from home." She hooked a piece of Darcy's hair behind her ear.

"Thank you mum. For finally coming home." Darcy hugged her mother tight.

"You're welcome. Now go try this on." Darcy's mother thrust an outfit into Darcy's arms.

"Okay." Darcy smiled and went up to her room.

The outfit consisted of ivory-shimmer tights, a hunter-olive coloured Trina Turk tunic dress and brown leather combat booties. The whole outfit cost about a total of $1,000.

"Have a good day at school honey. And you look great." Her mother kissed her forehead and handed her a bright red Marc Jacobs Banana hobo bag with keys to a brand new Mercedes C-Class.

"Mum. Why are you doing this for me? The outfit? The expensive car? And this bag? Why?" Darcy asked dumbfounded.

"Because. Honey. When I was your age, I didn't get nice things. So I promised myself that when I had a daughter. I would spoil her. And besides. We have the money...so why not?"

Darcy shrugged her shoulders and walked outside, starting the engine to her brand new car and driving to school.

She decided to avoid running into Tiffany so she discretely stuck the flyers to the walls of MWA and made her way to geography.

"Woah. What's with the outfit?" Viviana asked the minute Darcy sat down.

For once Darcy decided to at least try to be nice to her. The poor little freshman needed some friends right?

"It was a gift from mum this morning." Darcy's eyes traveled down to where Viviana was now looking.

"Is that a real Marc Jacobs bag?"

"Yup!" Darcy smiled proudly. But her smile quickly faded like a Mystic spray tan when she saw Tiffany enter the room, flyer in hand and looking angrier than ever.