Tyra

My name is Tyra Van Gilder and I'm dating the school's heartthrob.

By theory, our relationship is perfect. Desmond Arrington is by far the most attractive man I've ever met. Not the most handsome, not the tallest, and certainly not the most normal, but he's got presence and he's got money, and that's all that matters.

Me? I'm just your typical popular girl. I know I'm pretty; I always make sure that I did my make up right early in the mornings and touched up nice at afternoon. I work out to keep in shape, and I even sacrifice the taste of meat so that I could maintain the topnotch condition of my skin and hair. My surname screams old-money, and we've always have it good financially.

To sum it all, we're the perfect couple, the source of jealousy and hatred and wistful thinking of any other couples. And goddamn it, we both know and gloat (silently) about it.

Now, everything would have been pitch perfect, if I didn't hate Desmond Arrington, my supposedly most perfect partner.

I hate him. I hate him so much I want to tear his dick apart and staple it on the walls.

On the other hand, though, I can't really say that I hate him right in his face. My family might be powerful, but his family can crush mine in mere seconds. Just like he crushed my brother.

So I do what all other sane girls would do. I scheme.

It hasn't been going so well, even though I found a lot of people who shared my predicament. Desmond is too potent, too confident, and too sturdy.

But now I found a girl who might be able to help me to dethrone Desmond, and that girl, I may add, is a monster.

Her name's Cassandra Bellington, and when it comes to determination, she's top of the class.

I gave her twenty-eight days to revamp herself, and she totally does that. At the first week, everything is still going slow. She still ate carbs, her workout routine's all messed up, and she didn't put make up at all. But when the second week passes, she's gone into a total annihilation mode. Now, armed with Dior and Lancome and a few tweaks here and there, Cassie turns heads whenever she goes.

Come to think about it, not everyone can impress Tyra Van Gilder.

And I swear on my grandmother's pearls, I keep catching Desmond looking at her when he thinks no one notices.

Not me, honey, not me.

I'm aware of his every move. We've been together for six months for nothing. I know the signs when he's going to cheat on me (by status, we're still together after all), and all the signs say that he has his eye on Cassandra Bellington Revamped ®.

Big mistake, Desmond, honey. A very big one.

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Chapter Four: Mating Habits of the Popular and the Petty

She looked damn good.

The thought made Cassie flinch, but it was true. She was looking so goddamn good she almost couldn't believe that the mirror wasn't playing a big joke on her. It was already last day of the Great Makeover Maneuver, and so far she had been losing weight like crazy. Sure, it had been hard in the first couple of days, but the girls kept pestering her to go to the gym, and their lethal glares gave Cassie all the necessary incentive to keep working her ass off on the treadmill.

And boy, all of those sweat and blood, they all paid off.

Clad in her –now loose- school uniform, Cassie twirled around and pinched at the places where usually she'd find fat. Well, there was still fat, but a significant amount of it had already burnt off.

"I told you," Lucas was standing behind her, his mouth –like always- was tugged into a slight smirk. "You do have the potential to be hot."

They were in the Ping-Pong Room, only the two of them. Ten minutes ago, Cassie was supposed to have English, but the moment her eyes caught Lucas', he dragged her down here to dissect her.

Cassie half-scorned, half-smiled. She never really liked that expression, 'hot'. It sounded degrading. But somehow, with her slimmed face and non-touching calves, she decided that she could make amends to that word. Lucas calling her 'beautiful' or 'pretty' would be creepy.

"Do you think the other Elites will accept me?"

Lucas shrugged. "Sure. Tyra will personally recruit you in front of the other girls, and I've been talking about you to the guys. Besides, I think August has some kind of a crush to you."

Cassie couldn't help blushing at the mention of August. The blonde had made it very clear that he was starting to take notice of her, and not as a walking-brain. Maybe Desmond instructed him not to talk to Cassie, but August certainly wasn't instructed to not check her out.

And not only August. Cassie found out that there were other guys starting to notice her. Being a wallflower for almost an eternity, she was used to observing people, and now she caught all the averting glances and the extra attention that people gave her.

So this was how an appearance-crazed girl would feel.

"It's nice, isn't it?" Lucas leant closer towards her.

This resulted to a small gasp from Cassie's mouth. Try as she might, physical contact wasn't something she could make herself comfortable with. "What's nice?"

"You know, being looked at. You do have to wake up earlier to put on and your body's all sore from all the work out. But when a guy checks you out, you must definitely think that all of it's worth it."

Cassie loathed admitting it, but Lucas was right. She read too many magazines talking about inner-beauty and how it should shone first before outer beauty. She bought the idea, being never attractive herself. But that was then, and this was now. Now she knew that nobody would even bother to check if a girl has an immensely scintillating inner beauty if she didn't posses outer-beauty.

This was reality. This was the life of the Elite. And now that she wanted to become one, she had to accept this.

"Is she ready?" Tyra van Gilder suddenly materialized behind Lucas. Her minions, as always, made a formation of wings on her either side.

"I think she is. She doesn't stutter so much anymore and she's a natural smart-ass. Other kids wouldn't be able to trample her easily."

"That's good. She learns fast," Tyra said without an ounce of praise in her tone. "And I see she's wearing red-bra. That's also a good move."

"Show a little, tease a little," Lucas chimed in with another lewd look. "Still have to work on the blushing, though."

"I'm not blushing!" Cassie barked, although she knew fully that she was. "And don't talk about me as if I'm not here."

"Great. She grows a backbone," Tyra looked at her under her thick falsies. Cassie glared at her, as much as she was thankful of Tyra's mentoring her renovation, she didn't like her perpetual condescending tone. "Okay, sorry, Marshmallow. You grow a backbone. Happy now?"

"Super."

"You're going to join us for lunch in about, oh, five minutes. You sure you can handle all the vultures there?" Tyra asked.

"Keep it cool, composed, and classy," Cassie recited the three qualities a popular girl should have, Tyra's version.

"And don't challenge Desmond head-on," Lucas warned her. "You have to remember that other kids don't know about your little shenanigans with him that day. Desmond will most likely try to keep it that way."

Cassie drew a long breath, her chest stiffened with the mention of that fateful night. The familiar feel of hatred mixed with embarrassment seeped into her veins as she relished the feel of Desmond's body against her, and how he wouldn't admit it.

No. She was going to make him remember. He was her first kiss, and he wouldn't forget that so easily.

"Are you not bothered at all?" asked Cassie before she could stop herself.

"What? With him making out with you?" Tyra's nose crinkled. "Please. What makes you think that I haven't been fooling around behind his back? Our relationship is strictly business. He dates me because I'm the prettiest girl around, and I date him because he doesn't give a fuck about who I fuck."

Cassie couldn't close her mouth for at least five seconds. "D-Do you mean that you and him never-"

"Let's just say that we got bored of each other, but we have no idea how to get rid of each other," Tyra seemed tired. "Now let's link arms. I have to parade you around as my newest sidekick."

Right after she said it, the bell rang and echoed all across the halls. Cassie straightened her back. She knew that the people from The Society had been spreading rumors about her, the good ones, the ones that would launch her straight to the top. They'd been saying that she was an underground rock singer, and that she's been losing weight because a model-agency fell in love with her looks. There were also rumors that she was spotted numerous times in Vertigo, and how she broke the hearts of numerous guys who wouldn't give out their names.

All those rumors accumulated her hotness factor, and she knew people had been stealing glances at her, as if to confirm if the grapevine held any trace of truth.

Nobody outside the Society would ever know, and now she was going to make her debut.

"Showtime." Lucas's breath fanned against her ear, and as she shuddered, he walked past her and opened the door that would lead her to her first runway.

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It was like magic.

She swam through the sea of crowd, and like Moses, the crowd stepped back to give way to her.

Tyra towered beside her; her arm felt cold and her elbow sometimes poked on her ribs. Cassie held into it helplessly, because this time, Tyra was probably the only thing that prevented her from falling.

All along the hallway, Cassie heard muted whispers and inaudible gasps. There were familiar faces with contorted expressions, but most of them were faceless. Cassie couldn't think well, her mind was chaotic with millions of disjointed musings, but in the end, all of them conjured into one single coherent thought:

They're looking at me.

Cassie had never thought that it was possible to feel terrified and excited at the same time, but come to think about it, now she felt a perfect mixture of those. And she didn't quite hate it.

Cassie tried to keep her head tipped high, just like Tyra did it. She was just plain Cassie, an extraordinaire loser who had as many life-experience as a domestic cat, but that wasn't what people knew. They knew her as a party animal Cassie, as a underground rock singer Cassie, they knew her as Cassie the Elite.

What the hell, let them think that way for a little more while.

A sudden shot of confidence burst inside her, and Cassie broke into a smile. Following her smile was even more whispers, and Cassie thought she saw some faces reddening. Goddamn, doing this was really good for ego-inflation.

Now they were already out of the hallways, and even the cafeteria went a little quitter when she and Tyra made their appearance. Tyra had always been the Queen Bee. Her presence and power might not be as potent as Desmond, but she had her share of audience. That, and combine with the recent rumors about Cassie. Them linking arms might be the best gossip that St. Pulkeria had had for weeks.

Desmond was on the best table in the best seat, like always. Somehow the cafeteria workers had arranged the tables so that the ones on the center were the biggest and cleanest. A few of the jocks and rich-preppies had gathered around Desmond, and even they broke into knowing smiles when they saw Tyra and Cassie. An arrival of a new girl means more meat for them.

August was sitting beside Desmond, his position as the Prince never faltered. True to his nature, his face couldn't cover up even half-of his shock.

Tyra finally released their linked arms and gestured Cassie to sit beside her. A few of the cheerleaders frowned when they had to shift their position, but Tyra's glare was more than enough threat.

Cassie sat, and she looked around. She found familiar faces, the ones she saw inside the Ping-Pong-Room. They were probably the only ones who looked calm, boastful even. Lucas sat next to August, and he looked the most impressed. He waggled his eyebrow. The rest of them gave her an acknowledging nod. Imperceptibly, Cassie nodded at them, too, but her attention was elsewhere.

Desmond's eyes never left her. And his gaze, his attention, it bothered her the most.

Cassie used all of her willpower to not look at his direction, but try as she might, she couldn't ignore him when he opened his mouth.

"New toy, baby?"

He was talking to Tyra, and even though he was calling her 'baby', there was no affection in his tone. Cassie turned to him, and saw him looking at her. There was a ghost of smile on his lips, but the smile didn't touch his cold green eyes.

Strictly-business, Tyra had said.

"She's cool, honey," Tyra replied, and like Desmond, her voice oozing fake saccharine. "We met when I was playing Tennis. Did you know that she could hit like a savage woman?"

Cassie cringed. Tyra was a light-skinned black woman, and yet sometimes she talked about other black women, especially the darker ones that came from the other part of the world, as if they were completely different species.

"She doesn't look comfortable here," Desmond slurred. He barely looked at her, and he maintained his indifference perfectly. Cassie was again reminded with the most awkward encounter at the morning after, on August's house's kitchen.

"Come to think about it, the last time I saw you, you were uncomfortable." Cassie asked pointedly. "You were in a kitchen with a crying girl. Just the two of you. Your face looked like it was the last thing you wanted to be doing."

Up until this time, Cassie had never seen a real-life example of 'shell-shocked', but at this moment, she saw the embodiment on the faces of all the Elites. They were all either gasping or gagging, their eyes bulging as the words that Cassie said registered to their minds. It wasn't a secret that Desmond hadn't been faithful to Tyra, or to anyone he ever dated, but nobody had ever called him out so publicly. Lucas and Tyra had a hard time concealing their laughter.

Desmond, on the other hand, looked eerily calm. "You know girls. Sometimes I become nice to them and they cling like hot glue."

Cassie felt a hot rush flooding her cheeks. She hyperventilated, and she balled her fist to keep her chest from heaving too surreptitiously. Desmond was one over-confident bastard, she gave him that. And he was especially confident with his sexual capabilities.

"No worries guys," August saved her from the crashing humiliation she was about to feel. "The situation had been pacified. I know for a fact at that morning, Desmond was sleeping soundly on my bed. Do you know that this guy snores too, like a normal person?"

For once, Desmond released Cassie from under his watch and flashed a smile to August. A smile that he never showed Tyra. "Sometimes people are too stupid. Why would they spread gossips about things that never happen?"

"Sometimes they also hide things that happened, too," Lucas said in a very casual way that nobody would have suspected that there was a hidden meaning behind it. His thin face brightened up with a smile afterwards. "People like that are the stupidest of them all."

It was amazing how Desmond managed to conceal all of his inner rage. His lips were still forming a smile, and his fingers were intertwined with Tyra's, but his green eyes betrayed the calmness he was trying to convey.

"That's right, Lucas, just like how you tried to hide the fact that you sucked a guy off," Desmond laughed, and just like brainless ducks, the other people also laughed.

Cassie gawked at Lucas. What the hell?! She hoped her expression was enough to show her incredulity.

Lucas shrugged. His face was a little pink, but his actions seemed nonchalant. "Whatever. I think it's old news that I'm bi."

"I'm still trying to get over it," Desmond said.

"What, you interested in him?" Cassie spat before she knew what she was doing.

"Girls only, sorry. You interested?"

Cassie was fuming, her blood was boiling with rage. But then she saw Lucas shaking his head, and she sucked in air. When she talked again, her voice was sweet and cheerful, a complete opposite of the fire that was blazing her insides. "Oh, you flatter me."

Desmond sat a little straighter. He gestured Tyra to snuggle closer, and she did. "I was just asking if you are interested. I never expressed mine."

He was referring to the night before, and how she easily gave in to him. At this moment, Cassie's heart was thumping so hard she felt her ribcage would break. But no, she could stand it, she must stand it.

"This is the problem with most guys. They think just because we're smiling at them, we automatically fall in love with them."

"And that's the problems with girls. They generalize guys and think they deserve the nicest things in the world just because they're the same gender as our mothers," Desmond's voice was icy cold. "If you want respect, then you have to earn it. Like every other person."

"Oh, I know," Cassie said. Suddenly she was very happy to know that even though she was battling the lion, she had backups behind her. "Am I not welcome here? Can I eat my lunch now or should I find another table?"

It was a risky move that she took, and she saw Tyra held the breath inside her chest for a long time. One word, and all of their hard work would be eviscerated. One word, and Cassie would lose her chance. Cassie too, tried to mask her anxiety. She looked at every eye that was present here, but they were all looking at Desmond, asking for his confirmation. Desmond's mouth tightened, and Cassie could foresee what he was about to say. He was going to humiliate her, and this time he wouldn't be discreet about it.

But, no.

"What are you talking about, Cass?" August was the one who talked first. "You can join us for lunch everyday! Do you know how much I missed you? We haven't talked for like, forever!"

Cassie broke into a small smile. She could count on August to provide her honest answer. Besides, he was the only one who would talk without consulting to Desmond beforehand. "Yeah, August. I miss you, too."

August grinned, and before long, he already changed seat with a girl next to Cassie. He tapped at her shoulder, and Cassie fought the upcoming blush. God, why can't she just act casual around boys?

"You know, Desmond told me to not talk to you before, but I guess everything's settled now, right?" August whispered to her.

Cassie glanced at Desmond, who was whispering something to Tyra. His mouth was on her ear, but she could very clearly see that he still didn't take his eyes off her.

This made her smile. No, Desmond hadn't forgotten about her. Not when he was acting like this.

"Yes, we had a little fight after the party," Cassie said. "But everything's alright now."

"Have I told you that you look much hotter now?" August openly checked her out. "Goddamn, Cassie, do you mind if I develop a crush on you?"

Cassie was sure her face was tomato red, but she forced herself to laugh out loud. Tyra had educated her about this. When a guy flirts with you, don't ever show that you're actually pleased with him flirting. Just laugh and pass it off.

"Please, August," Cassie had to bow her head so that her face wasn't shown.

"Just kidding," August lifted both of his hands. "But wow, Cass. Not saying that you were ugly back then, but I keep hearing the guys talking about you in the changing room."

"Maybe I should hire you as my bodyguard?" Cassie attempted to flirt back. It came out just like what she wanted. Phew. At least her practice for over five hours on this didn't go to a waste. "You know, in case they want to try anything?"

August wasn't as good-looking as Desmond, and he would never be, with his childlike charms and his unsuspecting gaze, but his smile multiplied his looks by tenfold. Now Cassie could see why he had his share of cupcakes.

"Just give me a call," he said.

Cassie smiled, but when she looked over her shoulder, she saw Desmond glaring at her. He had been terrific when he was concealing his feelings before, but now he wasn't as discreet.

Cassie knew what triggered this berserk. She put a hand on August's shoulder, and from the corner of her eyes, she saw Desmond flinch. She leant to August's ear. "I will," she whispered.

And at that time, Cassie knew she had made herself an enemy of the school's most powerful man.

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Desmond Arrington was leaning against her locker, and his eyes elicited danger.

Cassie saw the malicious intent wafting through his body and for a moment it made her halt her feet from approaching her locker. And then she remembered that now she was now part of the Elites and they always posses a ridiculous amount of self-confidence.

Cassie doubted that her self-confidence was anywhere as excessive as Desmond had, but at least she could fake it while her bravado lasted.

She held her head a little higher as she sauntered towards him. "Excuse me, I'd like to get my books."

Like she expected, Desmond didn't even budge. If anything, the malicious aura thickened. "What the fuck are you doing?"

It took Cassie all of her energy to keep her face muscles from pulling a frown. "Trying to keep you away from my locker."

"Ha ha. Funny now, aren't you?" Desmond smiled, but it held no humor. "I'm being serious, Cassandra, what the fuck are you doing, garnering sympathy from my friends in front of me?"

He called her by her full name, and knowing Desmond's nature, that equaled a sword out of its sheath.

Old Cassie might tremble and let her jellied knees took over. Revamped Cassie was trained to take up shits like this, though. Besides, nothing his mouth spat could ever hurt her heart anymore, not when her heart was already broken beyond repair.

"Can't I have friends, Desmond? I don't see you treating them right so I might as well try to give them the appreciation they deserve."

Desmond's eyes narrowed. "Oh, is that it?" he took a step closer to Cassie, and she had to force her feet to stay glued on their place so that she didn't bolt.

Desmond saw through her fear, though, and a mocking snort came from his nose. "You were hurt bad, weren't you? And now you'd do anything to get my attention, even when it involves blending with the kind of crowd you hated so much."

The amount of truth on his words was astounding. Cassie sharply inhaled, her mind was reeling hard. "I could say the same about you."

There was a flicker of surprise in Desmond's eyes. But just a flicker that lasted a mere second.

"You hate your 'friends', even I could see it. You don't talk about your life with them, you don't share with them. You can't even look at your so-called girlfriend in the eye."

At the last sentence, Desmond took a step towards her, and that made Cassie gasp in shock. She backed away from him, annoyed at herself for letting his presence affect her so much. Desmond knew that she was affected, and he definitely knew that she still thought he was absolutely crazy attractive.

He leant towards her, and when she felt his hot breath against his ear, she couldn't help shuddering.

"Do you practice this in front of mirror, hmm, Cassandra?"

Cassie had to bit on her bottom lip to keep herself from whimpering. But still her heart couldn't stop making a mini stampede inside her ribcage.

"I bet the words came out smoother when you're talking at the mirror, huh?"

He was right. They did.

"Your problem, Cassie," Desmond said, and all of a sudden, he nipped at her earlobe, sending a zap of electricity all over her body. "is that you're never around boys. You don't know how to deal with us."

And as fast as when his mouth claimed her earlobe, he let go. Cassie couldn't decide which was worse, to see him having that satisfied look when he looked at her, or wanting him to resume what he had been doing to her.

But Desmond walked away from her, his back a little straighter than before, and his saunter a little bit more confident. Talking with Cassie had given him a sudden boost of ego, but most boys would feel the same. Who wouldn't, when it was so easy to reduce her to a color of tomato?

It took Cassie a long while before her heartbeat came back to normal, and even more time to make her minds stop thinking about Desmond and his goddamn mouth. She rushed to the toilet and started washing her ear. When she was done, though, she texted Lucas. If there was one person who could help her with this blushing problem, then it could only be him.

I won't lose to Desmond. I definitely won't.

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Title credited to Myrika from fictionpress, because she has a story titled Mating Habits of the Popular and the Petty, and it's a true YA.