Crazy In Love (Crushing Hard Series Book 1)

Dear Diary 23/01/2012

23:10 PM

The holidays are officially over. The festival my mom's boyfriend took us to on January 1st was legendary-so much so that the roads had to be closed. When we arrived at the beach, I was taken aback by a couple, completely drunk and caught up in their own world, having sex in the bushes. I kid you not; I couldn't look away. The atmosphere was electric, with great music and drinks flowing. It was a night to remember.

Tomorrow, my brother and I have to return to school, even though classes don't officially start until the 25th, which is a Wednesday. As prefects, we need to prepare for the Grade 8 orientation tomorrow night. Exciting stuff, right?

What I'm really looking forward to, though, is seeing Scott James. Oh, how I've missed him! I can hardly remember the exact shade of his eyes, but I've never forgotten how he makes me feel. Unfortunately, I didn't see him at all over the holidays; he was likely busy playing happy families with his girlfriend, Cassandra.

I did get to see my friends from school, and we had plenty of beach days and bonfire nights. There was definitely some flirtation between Mark, a boy from school, and me. At every gathering, he sat next to me, and we spent a lot of time together.

One memorable night was at Charmaine's house-she has a pet snake, which, if anyone knows me, they'll understand that I am absolutely petrified of snakes. I mean, why else would they be considered the evil creature in the Bible? Ugh! To get to the backyard where the party was, I had to go through the house-the very same house where the snake was. Everyone kept trying to coax me through the door, but I was practically hysterical. Someone even tried to use my fear against me, claiming Scott James was on the other side. In a moment of panic, I think I blurted out something like, "Scott James can suck my dick," but I'm not entirely sure. It was the fear talking.

In the end, Mark had to carry me through the house. After a few drinks, I even managed to forget about the snake lurking nearby, probably watching us through the windows...

Amy and Jade, my close friends from school, were there; they're best friends-think of Amy as the Thandi to Jade's Melissa. You feel me?

Dean thought it would be hilarious to put vodka in the hubbly instead of water. The effect hit me and Amy hard, especially Amy. She ended up in the pool, looking for "fishies," as she put it. I was about to join her because I was curious about what all the fuss was about. I was pulling my shirt over my head when Charmaine came over and yanked it back down.

Mark chimed in with a playful protest: "No, let her finish what she was doing, Charmaine," while giving me this wolfish grin.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the fishies because Jade's dad arrived to pick up Amy and Jade. By that point, Amy could barely walk; she was swaying and struggling to stand upright. While they were trying to help her into the car, she bent over and threw up on Jade's dad's shoes. I sobered up real quick after that.

Mark and I kept our flirting strong; we were very touchy. He's cute-brown eyes, tan skin, and curly hair. Not as fit as Scott, but he had a nice definition. I didn't realize another girl in our group was into him and wasn't happy about it.

At Sharon's birthday lunch at Spur, I ended up sitting on Mark's lap. Melissa warned me that Stha was giving me death glares from across the table. Mark kept tickling me, and I was totally HERE FOR IT.

When Liss and I went to the bathroom to retouch our makeup, Stha followed us. Once the door closed, she asked, "What's going on between you and Mark?"

"Nothing, we're just friends," I said, feeling uneasy. It seemed like we were about to clash, but I had learned to handle conflict quietly since joining the popular crowd-by talking behind people's backs.

"Please, I'm not stupid. Friends don't act like you two do! I wasn't born yesterday! So tell me what's going on?" Stha demanded, her anger palpable. I could actually see spit flying from her mouth, even without my glasses.

That's when Liss jumped in, "Dude, what the fuck is your problem? She said nothing, so back off!"

This is why she was my best friend.

I looked at Stha, her anger bubbling over, and something clicked. "Stha, do you like him?"

"I don't know, maybe. I just wanted to make sure," she shrugged, her anger fading.

"Babygirl, go for it. We flirt, but we're not a thing. I'm not about to fight you over a guy."

And it was true-I loved the idea of Mark, but dating him was a different story.

After that confrontation, I distanced myself from Mark so Stha could pursue her feelings. It was a shame he didn't understand my cold demeanor afterward, and I couldn't explain without breaking girl code.

Oh, my brother just woke up my sister, and we're going to sneak a swim outside. My mom is asleep, so here's hoping she won't hear us. My brother's childhood friend, Nkule, was only supposed to stay for an afternoon, but he's been here for a week. My sister is so mean to him; just the other day, she kicked him in the chest for finishing the milk when making a second bowl of cereal. I feel bad, so I overcompensate by being extra nice and playing "catch the rock" with him (we throw little rocks in the pool and see who catches the most) while my brother locks himself in his room, watching South Park.

So, we're all going swimming, even though Mondli and I need to wake up early tomorrow-Caitlin (the Head Girl) is picking us up.

Night night, Diary.

Lotsa love!