Road Tripping

07

---

IT WAS MONDAY, the Monday of my initial day at Gliestion high. The prank had blown over entirely, but I'm pretty sure Lucas and Nate still hadn't completely forgiven Jacks and I.

Now, though, I stand before the mirror in the bathroom. I need to look perfect for the abundance of hot Glieston guys that will attend that high school. Also, queen bees would flutter around madly in a place like this.

Lacking the energy to do much else, I apply some mascara carefully, leaning into the mirror to do so. "Ooh!" I hear a voice behind me, and I know by the childish tone that it is none other then my housemate, Jackson. "Can I wear some?" He says with complete seriousness.

I burst out laughing, flailing my hands wildly as I giggle and dropping my mascara bottle on the ground. The noise of the plastic against the tiles clangs throughout the house, and suddenly Puffy jumps from the bathtub, startling me so much that I choke on my own laugh. Why was my cat in the bathtub?

"I want to be pretty too!" Jacks whines, slouching his figure in complaint. I was about to comply, until I heard a slam and then rioting conversation in the foyer. "Honey!" Lucas calls, "I'm home!"

"Shut up, Luca," I shout, "you don't even live here!" The trial of a new nickname raises his eyebrows. "Luca? That's new... But I guess it's Laila approved so I like it." Of course. I am always the centre of attention—my personality demands it.

Nate follows in behind Lucas, yelling at Jacks and I to hurry up because we have to go to school. In a haste, I grab my quite unpacked bag and dash out to the car, terribly unprepared for my first day at Glieston high.

---

I count in my head. That's three wolf whistles now, and it's even worse because I have to walk into school alone; the boys had to go help a teacher, to my dismay. Jacks had let me borrow his school shirt, so the tee that I was wearing reached my elbows, for the sleeves were far too big. Oh well. I broke into a skip, clicking my tongue in sync with the scraping of my converse against the linoleum flooring.

"Enlighten me," Lucas mutters, falling into step with me. "How can you do something so childish and still make it look so hot?" My reply is a not-so-discreet blush, as I see Nate and Jacks beckon to us from the other end of the hall. Within the crowd I spot Josh, who looks at me happily and sends a sneaky wink before disappearing back into the hastening crowd.

"Three." I mutter when I get to the end of the hall, with the other boys. Just as the bell went, and I assumed they'd all leave, I heard the familiar chime of another whistle. "Four." I correct. Jacks begins to jump up and down. "I win!" He shouts. "I guessed four!" I then look expectantly at Nate, who shrugs overly casually and says, "five." Then his eyes lit up. I watched as Nate slipped two fingers in his mouth, and then made it five. I glare at him scoldingly.

"Hah!" Nate shouts at Jackson, getting in his face. "Now I win!" Jacks narrows his eyes and does the same; the sixth howl that irritates me more than it should. "That's six." Jacks says, smirking at Nate. "Now Lucas wins." Nate raises his (incredible) eyebrows and laughs as Lucas high fives me and places an imaginary crown on his head. "You'd rather Lucas win then me?" Nate asks in mock offence. Jacks nods.

"You're an ass."
"You did not just do that."
"That just happened."
"You're the ass!"
"No you are!"
"No you are!"