The Outsiders

Chapter 1

The Outsiders

I'd never been the type of person who seek for people's attention. I liked blending in the background, disappearing into thin air, and being invisible. I used to roam around the halls alone. It was something I was accustomed to. That was until Sophomore year when I met them: The Outsiders.

We were a group of five diverse individuals who were always left out and never felt a sense of belongingness. It was strange how we met, call it fate or simply a coincidence. We met at the famous Centre Island in Toronto. I was reading a book, Jacob and Willow were on a date, Isaac was out with his family, and Alec was there for community service after being convicted of vandalizing a cop's car. Let's just say that we somehow managed to cross paths and crash into each other, literally. I vividly remembered trying to furiously yell at Isaac through my stuttering when he accidentally spilled ice cream all over my copy of Jane Eyre.

Jacob was known as the Chinese geek of our school. Everything cyber he knew. It was his expertise. He was known for his plaid shirts and khaki pants. He was dating Willow.

Willow was the Latina goth of the group. A pair of combat boots with anything in black, eyeliner that went all around her eyes, and streaks of purple hair. Despite her outer appearance, she had the purest heart. She couldn't even hurt a fly.

Isaac was the African-American gay guy in school. Having a Catholic family didn't help his case either. Although hiding in the closet was tough, he had endured it for the sake of his parents.

Then there was Alec, the Australian delinquent of Ridgeview High. Leather jacket, combat boots, medium length hair that was mostly tied in a small low bun, and drove a motorbike; the typical bad boy. It wasn't a surprise why people avoided him. After all, one must avoid the troublemaker to avoid getting into trouble.

And last but not the least was me, Amelia, but everybody called me Lia. I was the Filipino-Canadian nerd of the group, the introvert. I was awkward but I came around once I grew comfortable enough with a person. Back then when the five of us had just started hanging out, I couldn't even utter three words without stuttering or having the feel to hurl. But now, I was comfortable enough to speak in full sentences without crying, but it was still quite difficult to make eye contact.

The five of us were the rejects of our school. The group of people who were casted out but ended up feeling a sense of belongingness in each other's presence. And thus begun the 'Outsiders' and our friendship.

It was the night of the Halloween dance. We had just arrived at school and the place looked spooky. I'd have to give it to the Dance Committee for a job well done. I went as Princess Leia from Star Wars. Jacob and Willow came as the Joker and Harley Quinn. While Alec opted out of costumes and just came in his usual clothes, no surprises there.

"Who are you suppose to be?" Alec asked Isaac as we all stared at his black, silky body suit that hugged his body a little too tightly. He also seemed to be hearing some fake booties. I didn't even want to know what he had shoved in there to make his butt look big and full.

"I'm Kim K." He confidently answered, earning a series of 'ohs' from us. He sassily brushed his wig out of his face and shot us a fierce look.

"I thought you came as a trash bag." Willow commented. We chuckled at the her joke while Isaac shot her a dirty look.

"You're just jealous of my butt." He said, jutting his behind to her.

"Anyway, let's get a moving so we can get this over with." Jacob said as he started heading towards the gym where the dance was being held.

We all tried to have fun but it was quite difficult with people glaring at us and trying to avoid us as much as they could. After thirty minutes, we decided to ditch the dance and find a place to hang out.

For some reason, we ended up in the basement of our school in an empty closet that looked big and cozy enough for the five of us. As soon as we sat on the floor, Jacob pulled a large packet of Skittles and Maltesers out of his pocket, while Willow took three cans of Sprite out of her purse. Jacob tore the package of the sweets open before handing them out to us. Willow passed a can of Sprite to Isaac, one to me to share with Alec, and kept the last one to herself to share with Jacob.

Alec and I weren't dating. But the group had always pushed us two together saying that we had an undeniable chemistry. Alec was totally attractive, his looks were to die for. And I would never admit it but I did have a little crush on him. I, however, thought that it was all wistful thinking and one-sided. I was pretty sure I wasn't Alec's type.

"That dance was such a bore. Everyone's so pretentious and uptight." Isaac complained, taking a swig of his drink.

"And the clean version music...what are we, eight?" Willow piped in before shoving some Maltesers in her mouth.

They continued to complain about the dance and how much it sucked until I heard distinct voices that I knew didn't belong to any of us. I tried to listen carefully but it was quite difficult with Willow and Isaac chatting.

"Guys, guys, listen!" I shushed them as they stopped speaking and listened to what I was referring to.

Then right then and there, we heard two voices arguing. "I can't believe you grabbed my a*s!" A high-pitch voice squealed.

"I told you, my hand slipped! It was an accident!" A baritone voice now spoke.

"Are those Jian Lennon and Neil Pearson arguing?" Isaac asked as we listened closely to the voices. Jian and Neil were in our year and they were known as the 'it' couple. They were the perfect, hashtag 'couple goals' in school that everybody envied. She was the famous school President while he was the popular jock who was the captain of the soccer team.

"I can't believe I agreed to pretend to go out with you! You are the most egotistical, disgusting person I have ever met!" Jian continued, causing all our eyes to widen at her revelation.

"Wasn't it you who asked for my help so you can be voted as the school's president? I don't need you, Jian. You.Need.Me!" Neil pointed out. To say that we were astounded was an understatement. We were all gaping at each other, staring at the ceiling from where the sound was coming from.

"Ugh! You are so infuriating! Let's end our deal now. I don't wanna do this with you anymore." Jian exhaustedly muttered.

"Oh no we won't. Not after everyone voted for us as the 'it' couple! We are not breaking up. Not until I say so." Neil said and that was the end of their conversation. It went quiet for the next minute until we finally realized that they were probably gone.

"What the hell did we just hear?" Alec murmured beside me before taking a sip of the Sprite.

"I think we just discovered that the 'it' couple is all a pretend." Willow stated, still in a daze with the information we just gathered.

"Oh my gosh! Do you guys realize how huge this would be if people find out? I never did like those two. They always gave us such a hard time and call us names. It's time to finally pay them back for their gratitude." Isaac smirked while rubbing his palms together as if he was scheming an evil plan in his head.

"You mean like blackmail them?" Jacob questioned with a raised brow.

"Now you're catching on, my friend." Isaac smiled. "This is our ticket out of our miserable high school lives."

"I-I don't know, guys. It s-sounds like trouble." I stuttered, afraid to speak up. It was their secret, it wasn't for us to reveal.

"C'mon Lia, aren't you sick of being called a nerd and being kicked to the curb everyday? I am done being an outcast, it's time for retribution. Who's with me?" Isaac questioned as he watched the four of us in expectation.

"Count me in." I was surprised when Alec spoke up. He was the last person I expected to agree. One by one, we caved in.

Little did we know that it was only the beginning of the many more secrets we would be uncovering in this magical closet. Because soon, these secrets would become our doom.