I rifled through the dresses hanging in my closet, desperately trying to find something to wear. Why is this often a girls biggest problem? Just trying to find something cute to wear out. It's a huge pain in the a-

My phone started buzzing on my makeup table so I leaned over and grabbed it.

"Hey, this is Hayleigh. What's your address? I think I'll come get you around 7:45 so we can get to Tyrones at 8."

I looked at the time, just now realizing that it's 7 already. Ugh, and I still haven't picked anything out. I typed my address into my phone and sent it. I didnt think about it fast enough when she originally said she was going to pick me up. This means she'll see my house, she'll see the land, she'll see everything. I hope she can keep a secret.

As if sensing my thoughts, Hayleigh texted "You don't have to dress up a whole lot for parties out here. Besides, we are gonna be in the pool a lot, so a bikini and some cover up clothes will do just fine."

I sighed in relief and pulled out a box of swimsuits I hadn't unpacked yet. It's not like I expected to be invited to a party with a pool any time soon. I took out my favorite baby blue bikini that has a v-cutout in the top and is super soft. I dread the day it may not fit anymore.

Once I was changed into it, I put on a cute pair of jean shorts and a baggy white t-shirt over top of it. I applied some water proof mascara and wove my hair into dutch braids. I find it so much easier to manage wet hair when braided. I checked the clock again. 7:30. I decided I would meet Hayleigh at the bottom of our driveway so at least that way she won't see everything.

I put on my favorite pair of converse high tops and grabbed a light jacket from my closet. I slung my purse around my shoulder and tucked my phone inside of it as I headed out into the hallway to peek into Allegras room. She was skyping with one of her agents and my parents still weren't home from work. Which 'works' out for me if you know what I mean. Alright, I'll skip the dad jokes.

I made it downstairs and out the front door as I looked for any signs of Hayleigh. I jogged down the driveway and just as I was making it to the bottom, her silver Toyota came into sight.

"Hey! You look nice, get in!" She greeted me with a smile and I looked to the other girls occupying the back seats. Macey was there, as well as Delaney and Marlene. Now that I thought about it, Macey and Marlene looked strikingly similar. They've got to be sisters.

I jumped into the passenger seat next to Hayleigh and she sped off. We headed down several roads I haven't been on yet. I guess I have only been here two weeks. The fall sun has already set, leaving us in the darkness as we traveled twisted roads and the girls laughed and chatted about things going on in school. They talked about a lot of people whose names I didn't recognize, but apparently some girl got dumped for cheating with her ex and then another girl had gotten pregnant over the summer and her boyfriend moved to North carolina. Sucks.

You couldn't miss Tyrone's house. He had a long driveway like mine, but once you drove up to it there were bright lights and blaring music. All of us exited the car and I followed Hayleigh through the crowd of people in the backyard to the man of the night. Tyrone.

He sat with a group of guys who I recognized to be Jared and Xander, but the rest were unfamiliar. The guy sitting next to Tyrone caught my attention. His jaw was sternly set and his eyes cold. His body was wet with water and muscles rippled beneath his skin. Not to inflate his ego that I'm sure he had or anything, but he looked good. Really good.

"Asteria, this is Duke, the only one in the gang you haven't met yet. Duke, this is Asteria. Just arrived to us all the way from sunny California." Hayleigh said, as enthusiastic as ever. My question is, when is she not? Anyway, he barely gave me so much as a nod, which just told me he was completely uninterested. But the way his eyes glinted from the light of the pool water and the way his body seemed to just emanate this unexplainable energy into the air and he had this powerfulness about him and-

"Let's get this party started!" Tyrone yelled and jumped into the pool, although I could tell he had been in once already. The rest of the guys followed him and the girls started stripping out of their clothes and following suit. I took a deep breath. I had unexplainable scars on my body that I didn't exactly feel like answering questions to, but here goes nothing...

I removed my shirt and shorts and tossed them onto a lounge chair the closest to me. The tempo of the music didn't slow, people didn't stare, so I suddenly felt the confidence to join them. Maybe it just means it's dark enough right down.

I slipped into the pool, shocked at how surprisingly warm the water is. I always expect pools to be freezing. I waded out to the middle where Hayleigh and the guys had gathered around a huge inflatable table full of drinks. Pretty cool idea, actually. Hayleigh handed me some kind of fruity liquid that had definitely been spiked beforehand. I shot it back and felt it tingle and burn all the way down. The feeling I love. Trust me though, I won't become an alcoholic, I promise.

I noticed that someone had set up a volleyball net that stretched across the pool and then threw a ball into the water. I love volleyball. I was practically raised on it. It's really the only thing I was good at growing up.

I took the ball in my hands and hit it overhand up and over the net. A guy on the other side saw this and bumped it back. Soon enough we had a good game going on. Hayleigh, Tyrone, and Xander joined me as Jared, Marlene and two other people I didn't know gathered on the other side.

After a while we took a pause and I downed some more drinks. Soon I felt my head become fuzzy and a puddle of warmth began to gather in my stomach. And no, I was not peeing myself. I hope. After a while I no longer really knew who I was talking to or what I was doing, so I felt someone sit me down in one of the lounge chairs and tell me to 'take it easy'.

I looked around me at the lights that were getting blurrier and blurrier by the minute and the speaker that blasted music seemed to have been shoved underneath a pillow somewhere as the volume became muffled.

I suddenly had the urge to pee so I stood up and felt woozy. Sorry if it's TMI, but if you want to listen to me it's something you'll have to endure. Anyway, I walked back over to the pool to find Hayleigh and ask her where the bathroom was, but she was making out with some guy, so I decided I would skip that and just fend for myself. I waded my way through people dancing and talking in groups as I tried to locate a direct path to the house.

I walked up to the patio door that I found to be unlocked and walked inside to a very nicely furnished house. Maybe my parents weren't the only rich ones in Vermont after all. I looked in awe at my surroundings and saw before me a living room and a nice kitchen that had all the things most moms dream about. White cabinets, granite countertops, double ovens, stainless steel appliances. The works.

I walked down a hallway and started to peek through some doorways as I went. I felt I should be really careful, because the last thing I want to do is walk in on someone doing... well... you know what I mean.

I sighed in relief as I found the bathroom and shut the door behind me. While I was doing business with the "oval office" as I like to call it, I heard voices start up outside the door.

"What is up with you tonight, man?" I was able to identify the first voice as Tyrones.

"I don't know. Home has just been, well, worse than normal lately." The voice was deep, rough. I have absolutely no clue which of the people I had seen outside it belonged to.

"Ya know, I have told you, what, how many times now? You can come stay with me whenever you need it."

"Yeah, I know," the deeper voice responded. "I just don't want to be pitied or helped. I just want out."

"You know I have never pitied you, you're strong, you know that. But God, are you stubborn as a bull." This made both of them laugh and I heard the voices move down the hall. I took this as my ticket to leave and quickly washed my hands and headed back outside.

My head is clearer now, and I realized how long it's been since I drank that much, or at all really. Definitely a few years. It is illegal after all. But there's something about doing forbidden things, being rebellious, I like it. It's always been me. It may sound repetitive, but rules are made to be broken.

I looked at my phone and discovered that it's already 10:30. My parents are probably home by now. I grabbed a cup of water off a table and went to go sit down in another lounge chair next to the stuff I dumped there earlier. I want to take it easy so I don't get completely wasted and forget about this night. I can still hardly believe I'm here.

I looked around at bodies moving to a specific rhythm, the lights dimmed. The pool water was in constant motion and the volleyball was being splashed back and forth. A mini basketball hoop had also been set up by one side of the pool and some guys would throw the ball back and forth until it made a clean swish through the net.

I enjoyed the scene around me. I was in a popular crowd and I was welcome here. I wasn't picked on, but I wasn't the center of attention either. I'm the 'happy medium'. I blend in, but I'm not invisible. It's a nice change. And to think I've only been in school for two days.

I tensed up as I felt someone sit down next to me. I felt my heart speed up, but I was disappointed when my eyes didn't meet green ones. I don't know why I expected Duke, to be honest, but I did. Instead I saw a shock of bright blond hair and dark eyes, a combination you don't see all the time.

"Uh oh, somebody better call God, because I think he lost one of his angels." Cheesy pick up line. Terrific. To give him credit, though, it made us both laugh.

"Do you always charm girls with such awful pick-up lines?" I smiled at him.

"Nah, only if I want to see them smile," he smiled back. I felt a little heat creep into my cheeks and looked down at my feet.

"On a serious note, all pick-up lines aside, my name's Miles." He offered his hand and I shook it.

"Asteria."

"Is that from like a different culture, or..." he asked. I mean, it's typical. If someone didn't, I'd probably be worried.

"Um, yeah. It's Greek, actually. My mom used to be obsessed with Greek Mythology and all that, so why did she pick Asteria out of any other name? I don't really know. She's never told me." I instinctively looked up at the stars that are way more visible here than in California by far. There are no skyscrapers, streetlights, spotlights, none of it. He followed my gaze and didn't ask anything of it.

"So are you going to Lake Champlain or St. J? I don't think I've seen you at school yet."

"I'm going to Lake Champlain," I explained, not missing a beat.

"Ah, okay," he said, clearing it up for himself. "I go to St. J. So I hear you're from California..."

We talked for a while and I found he was a pretty nice guy. It was pretty relieving after all the crap I got from them back in my old school. They were so old school and childish, going around calling girls a 'four' and treating us as 'objects'. There was no fairness about it. Allegra got in just fine though.

I turned around when someone tapped me on the shoulder and I found Hayleigh standing behind me. "You wanna go in the pool one last time? We should probably leave in like an hour so my parents don't kill me."

I obliged and Miles followed close behind. We all jumped into the pool, water cascading over the edges. We spent the rest of the time playing volleyball and taking shots, so by the time we were supposed to leave, we decided it would be best if Delaney drove, seems how all she had was water.

By the time we reached my driveway it was 12:05 and I walked through the dark up to the house. I slipped through the front door and up to my room and not a sound was made. That's the thing about having a family that doesn't care about you. You're invisible. 

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We made it to the end of chapter three!! What do you guys think so far? Any predictions of how this is gonna go? I love talkative readers, so if you wanna drop a comment, by all means, please do so! Don't forget to vote if you liked this, and another chapter will be out Friday! 

✰ Hazel Rae ✰