“Oh my god, babe. Shut up.” Lacey slaps him in the arm, the very muscular arm, playfully. “You’re captain of the football team and you’re going to be prom king. You’re not the newbie.”
“Not anymore, I’m not,” he counters as he throws me a wink.
I look away, and when I do, my eyes fall on a figure lurkingbehind the rest. Smaller than the rest of the pig-masked figures, and they appear to be female. Despite the mask obscuring her face, I can tell that she’s staring straight at us.
“What class do you have first?” Sam asks me, and my eyes snap back to him.
He’s taller than I originally would have guessed, at least six-foot. I notice what appears to be black ink peeking out beneath the sleeve of his jock jacket. Interesting. The mask is still pushed up on his head but somehow he doesn’t look ridiculous. He’s unbearably attractive and I can’t help the way my eyes want to drink him up. But his arm is currently slung around his very pretty girlfriend.
“She’s got Algebra with Semons,” Lacey answers for me.
Sam cringes. “Rough start, newbie,” he says with a chuckle. “Come on, we’ll walk you there.”
I slam my locker closed, the sound filling the swiftly emptying hallway. Class starts in just a few minutes and students are hurrying into classrooms. As we walk off down the hall, I chance a glance over my shoulder. The girl is still standing there. She’s still staring. The empty black eye holes of the horrible swine mask, which covers the eyes beneath, following my every move with extreme intensity. Whoever she is, I want to make sure I stay the hell away from her.
STACEY
Shoop by Salt-N-Peppa
My eyes remain fixed on the new girl, and something twists inside. The tendrils of jealousy course through my veins. I can feel the vibrations hum through my body. My lip twitches, turning to frown and then to smile as I straighten out my composure. Smoothing out my pink plaid mini skirt, and white baby doll cotton top, I take a deep breath in, the plastic of the mask filling my senses.
Everything is picture fucking perfect.
She turns and walks away, glancing over her shoulder at me with unease as my sweet big brother and his latest flavor of the week lead the new girl away. The new girl looks at me over her shoulder one last time. I cock my head to the side, letting her uneasesimmer. She looks wary of me.
Good. She should be uncomfortable. No one walks into this school without learning who rules these halls.
Fucking hint—it’s me.
Once the newbie bitch is gone, I slide the plastic from my face. The fresh air is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the mask. I fluff my dark hair, making sure it’s big and bouncy.
It’s my first day back from winter break and, as usual, it ended too quickly. I barely got any sleep and the list of people on my shit list only grew longer. With prom quickly approaching, I need to start getting ready to make sure the crown sits on my head by the end of the night. The halls of Sunnyvale are slowly emptying, only littered by paper and other random things. Strutting down the halls, the heel of my ankle boots click, echoing harshly.
“Miss Larsen,” a voice calls from behind me, and I spin to see our principal, Mr. Matthews, standing in the empty hallway. He’s dressed in his usual—khakis, a button down, and a bright bow tie. Who the fuck wears bow-ties? What a fucking loser.
“Yes, Mr. Matthews?” I ask sweetly, swaying my hips as I approach. I don’t miss the way he swallows down his nerves as I move closer, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You know the rules, Miss Larsen, no gum in school,” he reprimands, but it lacks bite. He’s got no real authority and we both know it.
“So.” I move even closer, letting my fingers dance across the buttonsof his shirt. “Maybe you need to teach me a lesson, Mr. Matthews, back in your office? Bend me over and give me a spanking?” I watch in delight as his pale little face turns red beneath the frame of his glasses. “Or maybe you’d rather just take it from me,” I suggest before sticking out my tongue and letting my mouth hang wide open.
I’m not dumb. I know the effect I have on men. My mother taught me well—men are single minded. They love power and sex. Give them sex and the illusion of power and you own them. A woman’s true strength lies in her ability to manipulate those around her.
Much to mother’s dismay though, I’m still a virgin. I may let men think they can have me, but I’m saving myself. There’s only one man for me—my soulmate.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Larsen,” my dweeb of a principal stutters out as he attempts to control himself. “Just throw it away in the nearest receptacle.” He takes a step back, putting distance between us.
“Anything you say,” I say before blowing a big bubble with my gum. “Sir.”
I laugh as I turn, continuing to chew the spearmint gum as I head towards the cafeteria to work on the prom campaign. Perk of being a part of the prom committee is that no one’s messing with me, especially not some weak little man who thinks he’s powerful because he can boss teenagers around. My hand presses against the cool surface, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
“Stacey, here,” Courtney calls to me as she pushes a dark curlbehind her ear. I walk towards my friend, noticing that she is starting to copy my looks once again. Dressed in blue plaid skirt, black knee high boots, and black turtleneck.
But she’ll never be half as hot as me. A cheap knock-off.
“You look cute,” I coo, circling her before taking a seat beside her at the long white cafeteria table. The cold of the polished surface biting into my skin. “Miss me?” I ask, my finger trailing over to the golden marker resting beside her.
“Of course I did. Life is just too dull without my favorite twin,” Court replies with a pearly smile, letting me catch sight of the gemstone sitting on her canine.Well, that’s cute.
