Falling For The Smiths

1.

CHAPTER ONE | FIRST DAY BACK
***

Why did she do that to me? What did I ever do to her?
   My thoughts every single day ever since — as I like to call it — “the accident”. I lost all my friends that day. Even after five years, I wish I’d done something, anything, to protect myself.
   I didn’t have long to ponder about the matter.
   “You need to wake up,” I heard Mom whisper. “Today’s your first day as a junior, darling. Don’t want to miss that, now do you?”
   I groaned and rolled onto my side, away from her. “Yes, I do want to miss that. Now let me sleep.”
   “Don’t let something that happened five years ago get in the way of your life today,” she scolded.
   I groaned again, this time louder. Mom sighed. Suddenly, she started tickling me, her slender fingers skidding under my tank top. I let out a sound that was somewhere in between a yelp and a giggle.
   “Mom!” I shrieked, jerked awake by her actions. “Stop! Oh, the agony!”
   She didn't stop until I somehow managed to sit up. Sending her a glare, I swung my legs out of the comfort of my blanket and set them on the carpeted floor.
   “Be down in about twenty minutes,” she sang and walked out the room.
   I stood up and stretched my sore limbs, letting out a wide yawn. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I trudged into the bathroom and stripped my clothes off. I stepped into the shower cubicle and switched the hot water on. For a moment, I just stood there and let the water heat up, Mom’s words flashing back to me.
   “Today’s your first day as a junior, darling.”
   Oh, crap. I’m going back to that hellhole with the devil’s incarnate, along with her minions. Well, at least I got Daphne. It could have been worse.
   Feeling slightly cheered up, and the water was warm enough, I grabbed the shampoo and scrubbed it through my hair. I should at least make a good impression on the first day back. The scent of blueberries wafted around the bathroom, calming my nerves.
   Humming a tune, I switched the bottle of shampoo for the tube of shower gel and rubbed it all over my body. I walked out the bathroom ten minutes later with a fluffy towel wrapped around myself, feeling refreshed and ready to face the first day.
   I crossed to my phone and — with one hand clutching my towel — I played I Really Like You by Carly Rae Jepsen. Turning the volume up, I put the phone back on my desk and turned to the closet.
   Remember, I told myself, this first day could change your entire school year. Make a good impression.
   But despite all the pep talks I gave myself, I still didn’t put a lot of effort into choosing my outfit for the day — I’ve always been a bit of a tomboy, I guess. I pulled on a pair of skinny jeans and a white tee. Since it was getting colder outside, I added a grey sweater.
   “Tessa, hurry up, please!” Mom yelled from downstairs. “Your father is waiting for you, he needs to leave soon.”
   The mention of Dad leaving soon made me quicken my pace. I slipped into my white sneakers and let my hair open, but I slid a rubber band onto my wrist, just in case. After making sure I had everything in my bag, I sling it onto a shoulder, grabbed my phone, and hurried down the stairs.
   “Good morning, pumpkin,” Dad greeted, putting his coffee mug down.
   “Morning,” I replied. “What are we having for breakfast?”
   “Pancakes,” Mom announced. My favourite.
   Licking my lips, I dumped my bag onto the kitchen island and sat on a stool. Mom set a plate of pancakes in front of me, along with a jug of honey — I forgive her for waking me up, this is definitely worth it. Muttering a thanks, I drowned the pancakes in the sticky syrup and dug into them hungrily.
   “You excited for the first day?” Dad asked.
   I didn’t reply. When the plate was empty and my stomach was full, I picked the plate up and washed it in the sink, washing my hands as well. I was drying my hands when I noticed the silence in the room.
   Sighing, I leaned against the island. “Mom, Dad, don’t worry about me, okay? I’m going to be fine.”
   “We know,” Mom assured. “But we’re just worried that you’re letting everything get in the way of your life. You never go out, you never socialize, and your only friend is Daphne.”
   “What’s your point?” I muttered, feeling slightly irritated.
   “Our point is,” Dad said, “that we want you to be happy. Promise us that you’ll try and make at least a couple of friends this year.”
   “But I am happy,” I protested, ignoring the last part. “I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
   “Teresa,” Mom warned. I knew I wasn’t getting out of this one — she used my full name.
   “Okay, I promise,” I sighed. “I will try, but don’t blame me if I don’t succeed.”
   Mom and Dad seemed satisfied. I quickly chugged down a glass of apple juice.
   “I’ll be off then,” I said. “Love you guys.”
   I planted a kiss on each of their foreheads, before scooping my bag up and walking out the front door. The chilly air nipped at my ears and I regretted not bringing a scarf or a cap. Luckily, the building was only a five minute walk away from my house. But by the time I reached the parking lot, my face was a faint shade of pink.
   I hurried past all the students and teachers milled around the lot, ignoring rude comments and sniggers, and only slowed down when I reached the toasty hallways of Whitewater High. Keeping my head down, I pushed past people towards my locker.
   “Tessa!” somebody cried when I reached my locker.
   I turned around to see my best friend — and only friend — Daphne Wilson. Squealing, she wrapped me into a hug.
   “It’s so good to see you,” she said. “I’m so sorry that we couldn’t meet over the summer. My parents dragged me with them to Paris.”
   “It’s fine,” I assured her for the umpteenth time over the past weeks. “I had a good time at home. I finished writing half of the book,” I added in a hushed tone.
   Daphne pulled away, beaming. “Seriously?” I nodded. “Girl, I am so proud of you. When do I get to read it?”
   “Soon,” I responded.
   “Got your new schedule yet?” she asked.
   “No.” I pried my locker open and was glad to find that my books were all in there. “Come with me to collect it?”
   Daphne nodded. Together, we made out way to the office. When we neared the door, my heart sank to my stomach.
   “Let’s come back later,” I whispered, stopping in my tracks. “We still have fifteen minutes to go.”
   Daphne followed my line of vision and frowned. “No, Tessa, I think we’ll go now.”
   “But—” I tried to protest.
   “Don’t let them bring you down,” Daphne muttered.
   I sighed. Cowering behind a curtain of curls, I let Daphne drag me over to the door. I silently observed the faces of the people standing in front of me.
   Grey eyes, ginger hair, a smirk plastered permanently to his face — Aaron Smith would never change. A small smile flickered onto my lips. He always made me smile, even after “the accident”.
   My eyes skidded to the girl standing next to him and my smile vanished. With a frown, I took in the devil’s incarnate. Her brown hair, her sea-blue eyes — Catherine Jameson possessed the hottest body known to man.
   Finally, I let my eyes rest on a boy leaning against the wall, engrossed in his own little world. His grey eyes were the same as his brother’s, but his brown hair was nothing similar — Mathew Smith was the only person I used to trust. Keyword being used. My gaze lingered around him for a longer time.
   My train of thought was forced to stop at a station when somebody cleared their throat.
   “Can we help you with something?” Aaron asked.
   My green eyes snapped up to meet Aaron’s grey ones. I couldn’t think properly. What do I say?
   “We’re waiting for the office to open,” Daphne said flatly. I sent her a grateful look. “Is there anything we can help you with?”
   “There is,” Catherine’s sickly sweet voice answered. “You can help us — and yourselves — by getting the hell out of here.”
   I keep silent, knowing that if I opened my mouth, I’d do something I’d later regret. Daphne, however, was in no mood to stay mute.
   “Excuse me?” she snarled. “You don’t own this place. And you don’t own us — or anyone for that matter! So stop acting like your superior to anybody here, because, reality check, you’re not.”
   Catherine’s eyes flashed dangerously. I looked around and found that a crowd had begun to form around us. My breathing hitched; I despised being the centre of attention.
   “Daphne, let’s go,” I begged, tugging on her arm. “She’s not worth it.”
   “I’m not worth it?” Shit, wrong move. “I’m not worth it? Who the fuck are you to judge whether or not we’re worth your time or not, Parker? Nobody gives a fuck about your thoughts.”
   She’s swearing. Damnit, I’m dead, and it’s still my first hour back. I balled my hands into fists and kept my face expressionless, even though she was right. Nobody cared about my opinion.
   “Just leave us alone, Catherine,” I said quietly.
   Catherine laughed cruelly. “Leave you alone? But I’ve just started.”
   She took a step towards me, but she was stopped by Mathew.
   “Just let her be,” Mathew warned. “It’s only the first day — you don’t want to get suspended.”
   I was in shock. Mathew Smith, the boy that stopped caring about me, standing up for me? Even Catherine looked surprised.
   “Matt, what are you doing?” she whispered, but it was loud enough for us to hear. “Let me go.”
   “No.” A gasp echoed through the multiplying crowd. “Just leave Tessa alone. You’ve put her through enough shit to last her a century. At least let her spend five minutes without having to worry about your next move.”
   Memories came spiraling back to and my chest tightened painfully. Aaron, Mathew and I laying side by side on the grass, watching the stars glow. Laughing. Smiling. Joking around. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed the memories away.
   Catherine was about to say something, but the office door flew open. I let out a breath of relief. Grabbing Daphne’s arm, I led us towards the opened door. I pushed her in, and was about to follow, when Mathew caught my eye. He was watching me, his grey eyes locked with my green ones, until I hastily broke the contact and disappeared into the office.

***

The bell rang after a torturous Math period, signalling the beginning of my free period. I let out a sigh of relief and looked up from my notebook.
   So far, my day sucked. After the whole Catherine incident, I’d grabbed my schedule from the lady, and rushed past the dwindling crowd to my locker — but not before Mathew locked his gaze with mine again.
   Sadly, he was in both my English and Biology classes, but luckily not in Math. I was finally able to breathe.
   “Complete the questions on the given pages for tomorrow,” our teacher, Mr. Thompson, announced, before he walked out the classroom.
   I took note of the homework on a sticky note and slapped it onto the inside of my folder. I looked down at my notebook and traced the patterns I’d doodled through Mr. Thompson’s boring introduction. The presence of somebody behind me made me snap the notebook shut.
   “That was impressive,” an all-too-familiar voice praised. “I remember your dream of becoming a writer — where’d that go?”
   “It’s still there,” I answered. “What do you want, Aaron?”
   Aaron never talked to me, not since five years ago. So why now?
   Aaron sighed. “Look, I wanted to apologize for Cathy. She’s being really harsh on you. And I wanted to see if you were okay.”
   I narrowed my eyes. “Since when does Aaron Smith care about what Tessa Parker feels?”
   “Since he realized his brother was right,” he sheepishly admitted.
   I looked away from him. As much as I wanted to accept the fact that Aaron actually cared about me, I knew it was too good to be true.
   “If you want to protect me,” I said, “then you’d better not be seen with me. She’ll have my life if she saw me talking to her boyfriend.”
   Aaron blinked. I turned back to the desk and quietly packed my things away. I pushed my chair back.
   “I’m sorry—” he tried, but I stopped him.
   “Sorry won’t help,” I whispered, almost inaudible. “I really want it to, Aaron, I really do. But it’s too late for that now.”
   I left him standing there, gaping at me. As soon as I left the classroom, I made for the library — my safe haven. I needed to think about what had just happened.
   “Tessa, good to see you,” Mrs. Williams, the librarian, greeted me. “You’re the first visitor of the day—”
   “—as always,” I finished, smiling. “It’s good to see you, too.”
   She smiled back at me before returning to her computer. I walked around the library till I reached the back, a place where people rarely visited — not that lots of people came to the library, anyway. A round table and a velvet armchair sat there, a spot reserved specially for me.
   I settled into the comfortable seat and placed my bag on the table. Unzipping the bag, I pulled out my journal. It wasn’t exactly a diary, but I kept a record of whatever was happening around me it it. For some reason, whenever I wrote out my problems or insecurities, it helped me. So, right now — with my mind spinning with a lot of questions — was a perfect time to write in it.
   I opened the journal to a fresh page and grabbed a pen. Uncapping it, I began writing.
   Today’s been so confusing — and the day’s only begun. It’s the first day back, so, obviously, I was expecting some trouble from Catherine. But not this much trouble. She started this commotion outside the office when Daphne and I went to collect our time tables. At first, it was pretty normal. Catherine and Daphne arguing, me standing in the background like a pin. But since a crowd started forming, I told Catherine to to leave us alone. Well, that was after I said she wasn’t worth our time — which she really isn’t. Obviously, she got pissed, and was about to do whatever to me, but Mathew stopped her. Mathew freaking Smith. It was the most unexpected things ever—
   I stopped writing when I heard somebody clear their throat. I looked up to see a face I really didn’t want to see right then — it was Mathew.

———

So, how'd you like the chapter? It was a bit long, I know, so sorry about that, but get used to it – all chapters will be this long. Hehe.
   But anyway, any suggestions for a celebrity to play the roles of these guys? Drop a comment if you do.
   • Tessa Parker
   • Daphne Wilson
   • Mathew Smith
   • Aaron Smith
   • Catherine Jameson
   Show some love; hit that star and drop a comment!
   xoxo,
   ★ Hazelpelt ★