Me and my cousin Logan were best friends, once apon a time. When we were little. We used to play these crazy 'imagine games' where we claimed everyone was either a vampire or a shape-shifter, and that there was a fox in a purple suit who had a hide-out under the trampoline in my yard, and he was going to take over the world. Well, things change I guess. People change...they grow up. Logan grew up into a dieting-crazy, neat, tidy girl with a face like a doll and a figure to die for, who dedicates her life to ballet dance. She goes to the a twin public school to mine, and from what I've heard and what I've seen on Facebook, she's pretty much in with the popular crowd. She goes to the same parties as Nadia and Remi, the untouchable barbie dolls in my year. Wheras I have grown up into a boring, avarage, nerdy girl - well that's what everyone knows me as. And Logan? She hates that. 'LOGAN IS HERE! ASH! COME DOWNSTAIRS!' Mum's yell echoed through the house. I'd had a long boring day at school, pretty much normal, except the new buzz surrounding the much anticipated arrival of the wild, bad boy who'd been expelled from his old school - anticipated by everyone but me I suppose. I hadn't even seen him, the golden boys from our year surrounding him like starstruck puppies and the barbie dolls batting their eyelashes at him blocked my veiw. I'd spilt water down myself in the canteen, and I'd tripped on the way to the board in math class. The last person I wanted to see was Logan. All the same, I forced myself downstairs and spread a fake smile across my face. Logan didn't even bother to pretend to smile back, just nodded at me. 'Hey...Ashlyn.' She said my name as if I was some sort of slug, slithering out from under a rock. 'Why don't you girls go up to Ash's room?' My mum said, handing my auntie Gez a mug of hot water. 'Fine.' Logan sighed, glaring at her mum as if to say 'you owe me'. 'Jeez, nobody's forcing you, Logan.' I said, just loud enough for her to hear. She glared at me, then landed her concontration back down on her smartphone. She followed me upstairs to my bedroom. 'Wow, it's changed. Last time I came it had your whole freaking childhood inside.' She said with an edge to her voice. She's right, it has changed. I just finished decorating it a few weeks ago. I changed by kiddy bunk bed for a single, painted the walls pink, and strung fairy lights through my head board. I'd even collaged one of my walls with magazine cuttings and adverts from my mum's old VOUGE magazines. 'It looks way better. Shame you couldn't do yourself a bit of a makeover too, huh?' She said, sitting down catiously on my bed, as if it was infected or something. It wouldn't be that hard to stop her saying stuff like this. I've worn makeup a few times, and I look ten times better, older, and sexier with it on. If I just wore makeup, let my hair down, and wore clothes that show off my figure, she'd probably accept my image like that. I might even have a chance with their crowd. But here I am, in my baggy t-shirt and cycling shorts, hair scraped back yet again, no makeup. 'I don't know, Logan.' I glared at her, picking up my iPhone. 'Seriously, what happened. When we were ten, we were both on the same track. You liked girly things and we used to try on your mums makeup and heels, and cut out pictures of boys from our little kiddy magazines. Remember that? You could be so hot if you made an effort Ash. But you don't...and you hang around with some floater, apparently.' She winced at the word 'floater'. It's a word the Barbie's use, like their own little slang. A floater, someone who's just there, for no apparent reason, they blend with the background. She'd probably heard this off Nadia or Remi, or any of their gang. They all looked down on me and Sam. I'm not suprised to be honest, I'd look down on us. 'Maybe I just can't be bothered with makeup and stuff. Okay?' I scrolled down my Facebook wall on my phone. Nothing new. 'I bet you haven't even kissed a boy, Ashlyn.' She stared at me. My cheeks flared scarlett. There was no escaping this. 'OH EM GEE! You haven't kissed a boy have you? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. That is so...WEIRD!' She flapped her hands around in shock. 'Maybe I just don't like guys, ok?' I hide my face in my hands. Can't the ground just swallow me up now? 'Jeeze, I'm seriously starting to doubt your sexuality, Ash. Are you...lesbian?' She gasps. 'NO! What the fuck! Just because I haven't kissed a boy yet, it dosen't mean I'm gay!' I yelled. 'Well you better work on it Ashlyn, or I won't be the only one doubting you.' She said. Her phone rung, some light chirpy American song as her ringtone. 'Hello?' She answered the call. 'Oh, I'm at my cousins house...that's right, that one. Ehm, just meet me at the bottom of Mountveiw Road. Ok? See you.' She cut off the call. 'Carrie is picking me up to meet these boys with her. See you soon, I guess. Work on the guy thing, ok? Ash, I'm only saying it for your own benifit. Nadia and Remi and Harlow and all them, they would mock you for life.' And then she picked up her bag, phone in the other hand, and skipped out of the door. I jumped onto my bed and curled up into a ball. I've never kissed a guy. Logan is right, I need to do something, and fast.
