Our Differences

Chapter 2

Chloe's POV

I wound up the windows with a fake smirk plastered on my face as my best friend Kristen Henson, who was sitting beside me, broke into hysterics. 

Honestly, I never wanted to be the school mean girl. True, I want to be the school Queen Bee but I don't want to ruin people's lives to be one. Ever since I was 11 and started reading books and watching movies about cool kids who are mean, I've started being like that too. I bullied students who aren't in the cool kid clique and crushed a lot of spirits. 

But when I became 15, I realized that I didn't want to be like that anymore. However, there was nothing I could do to change the reputation I have made.

 The whole school had already recognized me to be like that and I knew that if I tried to change, I would lose all my friends and my position on the social ladder. And there wouldn't be anybody who would welcome me to be their friend because of who I've become. 

So I spent the rest of my high school life pretending to like shopping in those painful high heels with those snobbish cool kids, making fun of kids who are 'not up to my status' and going on diets. But I actually like reading. Yes, the Queen Bee of Evermore High likes to read. And write.

 I'm actually what my friends would call a nerd. I enjoy relaxing in a plain T-shirt, jeans and sandals while being surrounded by books. And I also love to write. I didn't tell this to my friends and I never will. They would totally despise me and there would be no one who would welcome me as their friend.

Writing has always been my secret passion. It frees me from the world of expectations and lets my imagination run wild. It allows me to be the person trapped inside all those layers of makeup and designer clothing. That's all I ever wanted. To be free from what Evermore High has expected me to be. I'm no Regina George. But that's who everyone wants me to become. Just another version of the bossy spoiled princess that she is. 

"Hey." I heard a voice say. I turned. Kristen was staring at me suspiciously. 

"Why are you so quiet?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I-uh-I'm just daydreaming." I quickly replied. "Anyway, do you want to come to my house after shopping?" 

"Sure." she said, whipping out her compact mirror and adding her tenth layer of lip gloss. Not that I was counting anyway. 

After a long shopping trip, lots of gossip and talks about cool kids stuff that I wasn't really interested in, I was glad to escort Kristen out of my house. It's true that I like her but I'd take my books over her any day. I changed into a grey hoodie, ripped jeans and yellow sandals and plopped on my comfortable twin bed with a thick book. 

Ah.... I thought, sighing happily inside. Bliss. I finished my book and then got onto my laptop to continue writing a fantasy novel I was working on.  

The door opened and a maid entered. "Um, Miss Chloe?" she said, politely with a curtsy. "It's 6:30. You're mother will be home soon and she instructed me to serve you your dinner before she comes home." 

I nodded. "I'll be down soon." 

After eating, my mom and dad came home from work. They ate their dinner and went for a foot massage somewhere in town. I went back to reading for a little while longer before settling down to sleep. 

I woke up the next day at 8 o'clock sharp for another drama-filled mean girl day. I wore a pink Versace dress, dark blue heels, jewelry and a whole heap of makeup. I arrived at school by 8:30 sharp as usual. My best friends rushed over, squealing as they enveloped me in a group hug. Together, we trooped off to do our mean girl duties. Victim: Felicity Bloom. As usual. 

My friends were really obsessed with ruining her life more than anyone else's. Although I was like the leader, I have to maintain my image by pretending that she was my favorite bully victim as well.

We found her at her locker instead of the library. She gathered her books from her locker and stared at us with panic stricken eyes. I smirked at her. 

"Hi, Fe. How are you?" She turned around to run away but Jennifer and Mira blocked her. 

I pulled her ponytail. "Ugly idiot." I whispered into her ear. "Worthless nerd. Nobody loves you. Not even your parents." 

She bit her lip and looked to her left. 

"Die." Kristen said, maliciously. People saw us but no one did anything. 

Felicity stepped on my toes and walked away as quickly and calmly as possible but I knew that, in her mind, she was boiling with so much rage she could boil soup without a stove. We proceeded to tease her best friend, Jill Cody. She probably wasn't as nerdy as Felicity since she was a little more social than her and didn't hang around books as though they were her second best friend. She was chatting away with Rylie Parker and Alex Carson. 

"Hey there, Jill." I greeted in my sweetest voice. She turned around and rolled her eyes at us.

 "Look, Chloe. If you have nothing nice to say, you'd be better off mute." 

"Ya, right." I said. "Look here, girlfriend. If you have nothing nice to wear, you'd be better off in a bathrobe." My friends snickered. 

Jill was about to say something when Rylie laid a hand on her shoulder. 

"She's not worth your time, Jill." she said. "Let's go." 

Jill nodded and glared at us one last time before walking away.

"Such horrible manners." Jennifer said, flipping her hair. "Honestly, my dog can do better than her." 

I smiled but it didn't quite reach my eyes. As in, my smile wasn't sincere. I don't like doing this. I'm just ruining high school lives but my dream was to make Evermore High a better place. A place where you can be whoever you want to be, place where cliques don't exist and a place where anyone can be friends with everyone. 

The bell rang and I went to class. No, there is no way I can change that. Especially when I am almost everyone's most hated student.