Upside Down

Chapter Four

Around school, people call me the “rich bitch”. When I was in elementary, I got along with almost everyone. It was when I was in middle school and everyone realized that I was rich when things went south.

Girls that had been my friends suddenly wouldn’t talk to me and gave me dirty looks as I walked by. Boys that I had never even spoken to unexpectedly gave me all their attention. When high school rolled around and boys started to ask me out, I hardly ever agreed. I know that all most of them see when they look at me was a pretty little girl with oodles of money in her pockets. I now have a reputation for rejecting people and, therefore, am the “rich bitch”.

Walking through the halls with Kyle, I got twice as many glares as I usually do.

If looks could kill, I thought as I got a major death glare from some random sophomore.

When we reached my locker, I hurried and exchanged my algebra book for my chemistry one. I was on my tip toes, reaching to put my calculator on the top shelf of my locker when I heard Asia come up beside me.

“Hey, Jo,” I heard her say. I put my calculator down, shut my locker and turned to say hi to her. My response died on my lips when I saw Asia’s jaw practically on the floor and a look of pure amazement on her face. Turning to view what she was gawking at, I saw Kyle, who was currently reading a flyer that was taped onto a locker a few down from mine.

“Who. Is. That.” Asia whispered.

“That’s Kyle,” I whispered back.

“You didn’t tell me he was heart attack gorgeous!” she half whispered, half shrieked.

“I implied it,” I mumbled giving her a look that clearly meant shut up. Then, in a normal voice, I said, “We need to head to class or we’re going to be late.” As I was saying this, Kyle walked over and stood next to me.

“Hey, there, I’m Asia,” she said with a huge smile on her face.

“Kyle,” he greeted.

“Anyway, we really do need to get going. I’ll call you later, Asia.”

I grabbed his arm and started to pull him away from Asia before she did anything to embarrass me. When I finally had him a safe distance away, I glanced back to see Asia watching us. Seeing me looking at her, she waggled her eyebrows at me and gave me a pointed look. I snapped my head back around, my cheeks flaring pink.

“Asia seems nice,” Kyle said.

“She really is,” I said, looking up at him with a smile.

Realizing I was still holding onto his arm, I let go, dropped my gaze to the floor and cleared my throat. Regaining my composure, I looked up to see him staring down at me with an amused look at his face. I said, “She’s my best friend.”

“I thought Dalton was your best friend,” he remarked in a confused voice.

“Asia, Dalton, me and another kid, Kayden, have been best friends since we were five. Our moms took us to the same park and we always played together. Eventually, our moms became friends too and we’ve all been inseparable since.” Except for my mom, but I wasn’t going to bring that up now. “But Asia and I have always been closer, since we have more in common with each other.”

“Kayden James?” Kyle asked.

I laughed at the fact that that seemed to be all he’d gotten out of my spiel. “Yeah, have you met him?” I asked.

“He was in my P.E. class. He let me borrow some clothes.” Kayden’s always been the sweetheart.

“So what do you and Asia have in common that makes you two closer? Other than the obvious fact that you’re both girls, of course.”