Ranked

Chapter 1

ELLIE

I could hear the distant cheers from my spot on the porch swing. For a brief moment, I wondered what it would be like if I was there right now. The band started up again and more cheers erupted while the wind blew gently, making the palm leaves sway above me.

The wind was warm and gentle, not threatening to blow any of the papers on my lap away. Even though it was fall, it felt like a summer night. It was quite literally the calm before the storm, seeing as we would be getting a category 4 hurricane in the next week.

But for now everything was calm and quiet, except for the abrupt shouts and whistles from outside my neighborhood, where Palisades Prep football team was playing our rivals, Vista Park High.

It's my senior year, and I haven't been to one football game in all of my (almost) four years at Palisades Prep. Instead, I focus on my homework and preparing events for all 5 clubs that I am president of.

Now, don't start feeling sorry for me because I'm alone doing homework on a Friday night. I'm actually quite content with the way my life is going especially because at this rate, I'm practically guaranteed valedictorian.

I only pushed my homework away from me when my phone lit up, signaling I had gotten a text message. Just as I was opening it, the voices across the street roared and the sound of hundreds of pairs of feet slammed against the metal bleachers.

'We won. Picking you up now. No arguments.'

I internally groaned, not wanting to escape the warmth of the blanket I was trapped underneath.

Before I could reply, a Volkswagen Beetle Convertible swung around the bend, parking by the curb while narrowly avoiding a collision with my mailbox.

The top of the Beetle convertible was up, but it still allowed me to see more people crammed in there than the car would allow.

"Get in the clown car!!" A voice melodiously called out from the passenger's seat, which I identified as Skye's.

"Don't," smack, "Call my baby a clown car." The driver said, lightly smacking Skye on the arm.

"Hey, we don't have to go out. My parents just rented a movie. We could watch it," I called out weakly, knowing my suggestion would be shot down.

"What movie?" A voice inquired curiously. I could tell it was Skye because there is no way Sedona would be considering it at the rate her hands are gripping the steering wheel, ready to drive away any second.

"The Breakfast Club," I called, a smile on my face. It was one of my favorites.

"Is it about food?" Sedona asked, still rooted firmly in the driver's seat.

"Um, no," I laughed, "but I could make us some."

"Then never mind. If there's one thing you're bad at, it's cooking. Now get in the clown car," Skye called out, a finality in her voice.

"Fine, one second," I called out, reluctantly peeling my fuzzy blanket off of my bare legs. I stood up, walking through the front door of our ranch-style home.

"Bye mom, bye dad! I'm going out for a bit," I called out, placing my homework away in my backpack.

"Your homework is done already?" My dad called out, a hint of tease to his voice.