Sweet Sweet Revenge

Chapter 1: Guess Who's Back

I can’t believe I’m back, for good.  I look around my bedroom.  It looks exactly the same with everything exactly where I left it last break.  I don’t usually come back for the summer, because I find it too hard to leave my friends back home.  Well, I guess this is my home now, again.  I’d tried to leave it until the absolute last day to move back.  It’s now the last day of summer and my senior year starts tomorrow.

I can’t believe my parents!  They kept saying stuff about how they don’t see me often enough, and how they’ll see me even less when I leave for college next year.  So, they decided that I should move back for my senior year, and leave everything behind, again.

You know, technically this is all Will’s fault.  He’s the one who made me move in the first place.  If it weren’t for him I could be having an amazing senior year with the people I would’ve been friends with for years, instead of having to basically start over.

I walk out onto the balcony, looking at the house next door, Will’s house.  I wonder if he’s home.  The identical balcony in front of mine connects to his bedroom, if I remember correctly.  I hear a boy’s voice softly mumble and a girl’s laugh in response.  It’s probably Will and his girlfriend, whoever she is.  God, he doesn’t deserve the amazing senior year he’s probably going to have.

I walk back into my room and look at myself in the mirror.  My blonde hair is a mess and I’m not wearing any makeup.  Well, I should probably make some sort of effort to look nice tomorrow.  I can at least try my best to make this year okay.  People will probably remember me anyway, and I don’t want them to think I’ve turned into a weirdo. 

 I brush my hair out and decide to pick out an outfit for tomorrow.  I settle on a pair of white shorts and a cream cashmere sweater, paired with light brown sandals with a slight heel.  Generic, but pretty.  Then I move onto the makeup, only I can’t find my makeup bag.  Crap, I must’ve forgotten to pack it.

 I sigh and quickly grab my bag to go to the shops.  There is no way I’m going to school without lip gloss and mascara.  As I step off the front porch I hear a girl yelling my name.

 “Gemma?  Gemma Stewart?  Ohmigod is that you!?”  She laughs and I recognise it as the one I heard coming from Will’s room.  I turn around and immediately recognise the girl’s tanned skin, pretty face and dark blonde hair.  It’s Bree.

 “Hey Bree.” I say, giving her my biggest fake smile.

 “Gemma!  What are you doing here?  I swear I haven’t seen you in like a year or something.  You know school starts like tomorrow right?”

 “Um yeah…” I say.  “I’m actually moving back.”

 “You’re what!?  Ohmigod that’s so great!” she says in a super enthusiastic voice.  “Why didn’t you tell me before!?  You could’ve called? Texted?”

 “Oh, I um think I lost your number.  But that’s okay… we can swap numbers again now, right?”  I’m going to need some friends, and Bree seems like a good place to start.  I mean, we were best friends.

 “Yeah sure.” She says, grabbing my phone and punching her number in.  “You know, it’s so sad how after you moved we drifted away.  But, like, we managed to keep our friendship going for a whole year after which was a good effort and all.  Anyway, I’m so glad you’re back.  We can catch up again.  Maybe even be best friends again?  I mean, I’m like totally sick of all the phony girls at school at the moment.”  She talks really fast.

 “Yeah, that would be great.” I say, smiling.  “So glad to have made a friend before school starts.”

 “Oh please.  We’ve always been friends.” She says.  “We’ve just been taking a break, that’s all.  So, what are you doing now?  Maybe we could catch up?”

 “I’m actually on my way to the shops to buy some makeup.” I say.

 “Great!  I’ll come with!” she says.  “I need some more liner anyway.”

 After I pick up my makeup, and she finds herself some liner, Bree and I go to a new café down the road to get some coffee.

 “So what can I expect tomorrow at school?” I ask, sipping my coffee.

 “Well, all I can tell you is this senior year is going to be great, with you sticking by me.  It’s my year to shine.  I’m about to become head cheerleader, dating the hottest guy in school, who’s also the star quarterback… It’s like the stereo-typical high school dream!”  Bree had always wanted to be that girl when we were young.  We’d watch countless stereo-typical high school movies and she’d always describe the head cheerleader as an idol, the perfect role-model. 

 “Oh, and by the way,” she says.  “The star quarterback, my boyfriend, is Will Collins.  You guys used to hate each other, remember?  Of course you remember.  Well, anyway, you’re over that, right?”

 So I was right.  That girl was his girlfriend.  I immediately tense.  “Right.” I say, giving her what I hope is a convincing smile.  I can’t afford to lose my one and only friend right now.

 “Great.” She says.  I can tell she’s not totally convinced.  “Anyway, if you’re not, you totally will be when you see how freakin hot he is!”

 “Can’t wait.” I say, giving her the most genuine smile I can muster.

 This time she looks convinced and sighs in relief.  “Yeah.  So, he’s actually holding an end of summer party tonight.  You should come.  Everyone’s going to be there so you can meet some people.”

 I’m about to say no when I realize that I really should meet some people.  It doesn’t matter that Will will be there.  I won’t have to talk to him that much anyway.  “Sounds fun.  I’ll be there.” I say.  “And you can come over to get ready if you want.”  I offer spontaneously. 

 “Great!” she says, giving me a perfect white smile.  “I’ll come by at 7.”