The End Of You And Me | BOOK 1 (Completed) & 2 (Currently Writing)

TEOYAM | 01. First Encounters

Everyone has a story to tell. Mine would make more sense if we took a step back and looked at my life from when I was only 16.

Let's turn back time now, shall we?

August 23, 2010

It was the first day of Sophomore year for me and my friends at Trinity School. I've been studying there since I was four; my mum's request. If it was up to me, I'd study at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Brooklyn, which would completely piss my mum off. She takes pride in having her daughter study at a prestigious school like Trinity.

Other schools just aren't at par, in her opinion, seeing as Trinity School is the fifth oldest school in the country and the oldest continuously operated school in New York City. It's not just some prep school too. Forbes Magazine even named it the best college prep school in the U.S. in 2010. Some notable alumni include journalist David Faber, tennis players John and Patrick McEnroe, composer Charles Wuorinen and Facebook CFO David Ebersman. Oh, and it's also the 7th most expensive school in America.

Just like any normal teenage girl with high expectations, my friends were very much excited for our second year in high school. Everyone older than us said that high school is where you set your standards and make those standards known. They also said that there are only two kinds of people in high school, those who set the rules and those who follow the rules.

My best friend, Rachel van der Rohe, daughter of a famous German architect and one of America's top fashion designers, was out to make sure that me and my friends were the ones who set the rules and not the ones bounded by it. Doing that wasn't really that hard to achieve, considering the fact that people in families like ours are born to be on top of the social food chain.

Even when we were still freshmen, we were practically entitled to have lunch at the center table at the cafeteria and spend our free period however we want; all because our families donate enough money to the school and crossing us would be bad for other people's businesses. It was simply how things are.

"Veronica Solenn Ortega-Rockefeller." A very familiar voice called out, stopping me in my tracks. I shook my head before I turned towards the person to whom the voice belonged to. I came face to face with a light brown haired girl who had her arms crossed over her chest. "You're fifteen minutes late."

This was very typical of Rachel. She didn't have any siblings growing up so she was used to getting what she wanted whenever she wanted them. Always. It was kind of surprising how we managed to become the best of friends despite our different views in most things. We were quite the opposites.

She's the traditional save-my-virginity-until-marriage type of girl. Parents loved her because she's respectful of grownups and she's the picture perfect socialite. She's classy, a huge perfectionist, and she's well-mannered towards people. Well, with the exception of when she's interacting with people who are not in the same social class. She doesn't really like them and she chooses not to interact with them, unless it will benefit her somehow in the near future.

"You know fully well I don't like being called by my whole name, Rach." I walked towards her, smiling as I waved at the group of people who were surrounding her. Some returned the wave, while some just looked at me as if they've seen a ghost and started whispering among themselves.

"And you know fully well that I don't like it when people are late, especially when it's as crucial as the first day of classes." She flipped her hair behind her. "We were supposed to walk through those doors like we owned the place, Ronnie. But, because you're late, that's no longer an option."

"I'm not even late," I chuckled. "I'm actually fifteen minutes early for class. You'd have to admit, that is pretty ground breaking for me."

Rachel nodded her head slowly, as if contemplating on whether she should believe me or not. "Well, that I can't deny. You're always late," she chuckled as she rolled her eyes. "With the exception of losing your virginity because you lost that before anyone our age even started thinking about sex. You better thank the heavens you're my best friend or I would've--"