Secrets of Fayhill High

(1) Why Me?

I awoke to a text from Rose; school wasn't supposed to start for another two weeks, but Rose insisted we get our bodies back into the swing of things before the season officially started. I groaned as I glanced once again at my overly-bright screen, it was six-thirty in the morning. I rolled, quite literally, out of bed and stumbled haphazardly into the bathroom. My hair was a mess. For some reason, I still thought it was a good idea to shower, let it air dry, and sleep on my hair before even once touching a brush. I cringed as I attempted to brush it out and pull it into a tight ponytail.

Once my hair was in order, I brushed my teeth and made my way back into my bedroom. I decided on a simple outfit: a black sports bra, white crop top, grey leggings, and my pink Nike tennis shoes.

I was shocked as I came downstairs, and saw none other than my father sitting at the kitchen table, pen in hand. Dad was certainly not a morning person. He glared down at the empty notebook sitting in front of him, as though the words would suddenly appear on the page.

I suppose you could call my parents "hippies". My mother was a free-spirited artist who always wore flowy clothing and a colorful bandana atop her messy head of curly black hair. She loved to sing, dance, and laugh her way through life. Dad, on the other hand, was a writer. He had once worked in New York City for some big newspaper company, but he hated city life and decided to move to a little town just outside the infamous NYC. It was here, in Fayhill, New York, where my parents met and eventually had me and my sister, Clover.

"Morning." His voice came out out strained and tired.

"Rough night?" I mused as I started up the coffee maker.

"You could say that." He muttered.

I smiled softly at him. For the past month, Dad had been wrestling with writer's block. The last thing he had published was an expose on Fayhill High's very own, Coach Foster. There were several allegations about him verbally abusing his athletes and encouraging the use of certain enhancements. But whatever he was doing won games and, to the people of Fayhill, that was all that mattered. The amount of hate being thrown Dad's way was astonishing, and I was surprised he put up with it. Though, the whole ordeal had put him off of writing for a while. Once he tried writing again, his mind became instantly blank.

I sighed as I pulled down a mug, travel mug, and bottle of water. I filled both mugs with the freshly-brewed coffee before tossing the water over to where my duffle bag was sitting by the door. I placed the mug in front of Dad, earning me a thankful smile. I poured sugar and cream into my own travel mug before screwing the lid into place. 

Glancing up, I realized it was already seven, I was going to be late.I hastily shoved a bagel into my mouth, slung my bag over my shoulder, and grabbed my mug before mumbling a quick "bye" to Dad and running out the door.I hopped into my old Prius and peeled out of my driveway as quickly as possible. 

When I arrived at the school, I saw that most of the team had already gathered on the large outdoor track, stretching and chatting eagerly about their amazing summers. I wasn't paying too much attention, but I groaned as my eyes reluctantly met Rose's. She was staring daggers into me as I slowly made my way over to her.

"You're late." She growled as I placed my bag down beside her and plopped down on the ground, stretching my legs slowly.

"I know, I woke up a bit late. I think I forgot to set my alarm."

"I mean, I only talked about this practice every day for the last month, but okay." She spit out at me.

Rose was your typical "bitchy popular girl". She was gorgeous, smart, and funny, which did not go unnoticed by boys. She seemed to have a new "boy toy" on her arm every other week, and at I times I truly despised her. Yet somehow, she was one of my best friends. 

Before I knew it, we were on the track running laps. I despised running- it wasn't that I was unatletic, but it did make me feel very self-conscious. I always seemed to be a few steps behind everyone else, and it made me uneasy. I just tried to push the self-deprication away as I ran the remainder of the laps. Next up was our new routine.

Rose had been perfecting her routine all summer, and I had to admit, it was amazing. All our jaws dropped as she effortlessly performed her masterpiece. I picked out a few moves I had helped her with and smiled to myself. She never tripped up, her eyes closed in the undenaiable bliss she felt as her body moved along to the music. Yes, this is the dance team.

We practiced for two hours without much of a break before Rose suddenly stopped, her face lighting up with joy. She clapped her hands once, bringing all eyes up to her expectantly, she smirked in response.

"All right ladies, I was talking to Mr. Sanchez, who, as you know, is our new principal; anyways, he wants the dance team to prepare a routine with the football players to perform at the pep rally in September!" A couple of girls gasped, some giggled, and others, like myself, did nothing, waiting for Rose to finish.

"Focus, ladies!" Lord, her voice is so shrill. "As I was saying, we will perform with them, and Hazel, I want you to come up with our routine." All eyes shifted to me, my face grew gradually more red.

"Hazel, I need to speak with you. Everyone else is free to go."

We waited until everyone had left before Rose eventually spoke again. We made our way over to the bleachers and took a seat.

"So... are you excited?" She asked eagerly.

"Rose, you know I hate this kind of stuff." I rolled my eyes.

"I know, but you actually want to dance, like as your job. I don't. You need to start coming up with some routines to show colleges you have what it takes." I was shocked at her sudden sincerity.

"I know." I sighed, dropping my eyes to the ground. It was silent for a few moments before Rose pulled a sheet out from her bag.

"So I have the list of people on each team, I was going to start pairing people off if you want to help!" I was relieved at her change back to her regular bubbly self and nodded my head slightly.

We had paired off several people before my name came up on the list, I knew this decision was already out of my hands.

"Oh, dear. Hazel Griffin, what to do with you." She said, nibbling on the end of her pen. "Well, I could do Grayson, but that'd be the obvious choice. Hmmm, maybe... Carter Evans?" I groaned. "I've got it!" She smiled at me wickedly.

"Ugh, just say it already."

"Well, you were late today, that can't go unpunished... so I'm thinking... Lucas Beckett!" She  squealed, writing his name down beside mine.

I  sprung into action then, reaching forward to rip the paper from her hands. She jumped up, sprinting onto the football field. I raced after her, but the little bitch was laughing her ass off and running as fast as possible. Where did all this energy come from?? I hadn't even noticed the small crowd beginning to accumulate on the field. I pounced forward, dragging both of us to the ground. The paper slipped from her hands as we both sat on the ground, laughing hysterically. I realized there was something (or someone) standing above us, casting its shadow over us. My head snapped back and I slowly looked up. The entire football team had gathered in front of us, Rose still hadn't noticed. Lucas Beckett stood at the front of the pack directly in front of me. In his hands was the list. I remembered Rose writing hearts next to the hottest guys on the team, it was amusing then, it certainly wasn't now.

"Looks like we're a couple, Griffin." Lucas smirked at me. Rose turned around and stopped laughing.

"Like what you see boys?" She teased. I wished I could have disappeared in that moment.

"You know it, Posy." He smiled at her wickedly.

She rose to her feet, and I followed quickly behind her, looking like a lost puppy following after her.

"Nice ass, Griffin!" He called out after me, followed by some of the other boys' catcalls. I just rolled my eyes as I stormed over to my car. I closed the door, locked it, and sighed.

These were going to be the longest months of my life.

Thank you guys so much for reading! Let me know what you think!!