I could rub the itch out of my eye, but not my own stupidity. The itchiness festered from lack of sleep. It warned me of a luring pounding feeling in my head that causes me to regret my poor life choices. I'm caffeine hungover for sure. That red bull at 9PM always felt like a good idea until this morning. 

Past me sucks.

Elena emerged from her house with her curls tied half up by a strawberry scrunchie to pair with her white tennis skirt. She was all curves and soft edges with romantic hearts covering the sweater, and she wore the kind of statement boots meant to tower over us mere mortals. She wore dainty gold jewelry, layers of necklaces and more rings than the number of fingers on her hand.

Her dark regrowth was showing, but somehow Elena made it look cool and on purpose. At least that was how Elena carried herself. She had gotten tanner too and her round cheeks were still pink from yesterday's sun.

Every morning, I was my friend's personal driver to school. They hated the bus as much I liked making them happy. Plus, their presence gave me more will to live than any amount of sludge coffee my father makes. 

Elena hopped into the backseat, aware of the crowd this car gathered in the morning and made eyes at the bouquet of daises on the car seat but made no comment. I watched her make a note about it inside her mind palace.

Buckled, Elena looked forward and her pink lips curled wickedly. "You still use GPS? You drive to my house every day."

"Yeah," I said, trying to come up with an excuse, so I wouldn't have to admit that I had as much direction as a goldfish with amnesia. "But like GPS, knows the better way every day and sometimes that better way changes. What about traffic? Or a slowdown? This way I can avoid it."

"Sometimes I think you prepare too much, like you've even preplanned the number of times you're going to blink a day."

I smiled. "I've got 15,000 to go... 14,999."

With the smallest smile, Elena laughed little puffs of air and we were on our way to Skipper's house next. I basically drove the way I came, but still with her address on my GPS. Skipper's house was in another suburb that looked practically identical to Elena's, but it was thirty minutes away and Skipper was never ready by the time I arrived. 

Pulling into her carport, I immediately called Skipper on the phone. Right on schedule. "Ready or not, we're leaving Skip! Let's rock and roll!"

"Okay, dad," Skipper groaned in a way where Zoey imagined she had still yet to open her eyes.

"Are you ready? I don't see you. The lights in your house aren't even on—"

"I'm coming, I'm coming, okay?" Fluent in groaning, Skipper griped and started her usual list of complaints about how she slept, the light outside, the school system, and the odd taste of her toothpaste. I just looked at Elena and we rolled our eyes in solidarity.

Eventually, she fell out of her house with a thermos of coffee as big as her head.

Skipper was all legs and long toned arms. She had long, black, tight braids that were half up today. Her dark brown skin was darker than usual now that the Spring soccer season was in full swing, and we were spending more time outside than in. She also wore an old T-shirt of mine (that she swore was hers to begin with, but she had a tell when she lied and I did not) with jeans and her vans. She was effortlessly cool.

Without me realizing it, Skipper had already climbed inside into my passenger seat. Skipper laughed at something Elena said, which I had missed and I forced out a laugh so they wouldn't notice I stopped paying attention. Driving onto the road, I went the long way to our next stop. I needed to refocus.

"Text Mona that we'll be there soon," I instructed.

"Do you want us to use your phone?" Elena proposed, all the suggestiveness oozing from her voice. If a question could wiggle its eyebrows, this one would.

"No," I said, offended for myself. "I don't want her to think I text and drive."

Skipper snorted. "Consider it done."

Skipper was a person made of laughter. She was all kinds: the goofy, the loud, the subtle, and even under her breath. We've even received looks from people at movies when she's laughing too hard, and I just sit and smile and think they should be jealous they're not friends with her and they should feel honored they even got to hear this laugh.

Scooting closer, putting her face between the front seats, Elena asked, "Are you still going to ask her out today?" She wriggled her shiny fingers. Elena was soft spoken, but her hands were direct. Her hands added emphasis. Sometimes, she didn't even have to say a word. One flick of her hand, and I knew whether she was happy or displeased.

I nodded. "When we pick her up. I've got it all planned out." At the end of school yesterday, I finally bought two tickets from Penelope. The little red stubs were burning a hole in my pocket.

"Always a plan," Skipper chuckled. She grinned, dimpled and bright eyed. "I bet you even planned to get a crush on Mona."

She wasn't far off.

If I was going to be the best.

Have the best.

I needed to pursue the best.

And there was no one better in all of school than Mona Fabray. Right on time (my angel), Mona walked out of her hair with her perfectly wavy blonde hair with streaks of lavender. Mona and her crisp white T-shirt and fitted jeans. Nothing about Mona was out of place, disorganized, or off.

Before she walked out the door, something seemed to dawn on Mona. Apologetically, she raised a finger and then ran back inside.

"Get in the back," I demanded of Skipper, smacking her thigh so she'd hurry.

"Wha-? Why didn't you say so earlier?" She asked, complaining despite unbuckling her seatbelt. "You know I get carsick, dude."

"Just go go go."

Skipper snorted, and I elbowed her side. "Don't be nasty!"

She continued to snicker and crawl to the back. With a whimper, she laid her head on Elena's shoulder and I had to suck in a worried breath. Panicked, I reached for the closest thing, Skipper's sweatshirt, and tossed it in her face. "Don't whine. I'll owe you one."

"You owe me your life, Zoey Summers! You'd be nothing without me."

"I don't know about that. I'd definitely get less headaches."

The trick worked like magic. She returned to the upright position, off of Elena. I let out a relieved breath. It's not that Skipper and Elena couldn't date. They were beautiful, amazing, and talented girls. They deserved love... but Skipper and Elena should not be dating.

It pulls them away from being part of the three musketeers that we are.

And it becomes them against me.

"Skipper!" Elena cried. "You sat on the flowers!"

Whipping around, I saw the small bouquet of daisies crushed underneath my so-called friend. Skipper's wide eyes snapped up at me. "My bad—"

"It's fine," I quickly said and motioned her, panic ripping through me. "It's fine! Just toss it in the back." Skipper tossed it and I quickly got out of the car to meet Mona by her door, my anxiety skyrocketing at having to change my plans already, but I still had a bracelet in my pocket. It had a small charm of a soccer ball to symbolize the day we met.

It was just a day outside in the park and me and the girls were just messing around when I missed the ball and it rolled up to the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Before I could even ask for her to toss it back, she kicked it and the ball had its own orbit, swinging the completely wrong way. Our jaws collectively dropped and with one look at each other, we just started running for it. Since that day, I had been a little obsessed with the way her hair caught the light and the little gap between her front two teeth. I couldn't get over the way she knew everyone. Even knew me.

Hurrying to her front door, I remembered to take a deep breath. My sis—someone taught me that every action benefited from taking a deep breath first. "Hey Mona, good morning—" I said when she suddenly appeared again with a huge plastic tub, shoving it into my arms.

"Zoey! You're psychic. Thank you so much," she said. "Can you put this in the car—?" I didn't even think, I grabbed it just as she was saying, "—be careful, it's heavy."

Too late. My arms forcibly straightened, the height bringing me down and my human instincts kicked in and I accidentally dropped the container. Mona gasped. "OH! S-sorry!" I stuttered, bending down and colliding with Mona's head and it was a recipe for an instant headache. I cursed and when I went down to pick it up, Mona did too and whacked me right in the nose. Pain exploded in my face and blood spurted down my lips.

"Oh, no! No! No! Zoey!" Grabbing my arm, Mona dragged me inside and before I knew it, I was sitting on her kitchen counter with an icepack on my face with Mona's mother insisting I pinch my nose and Mona telling me to throw my nose back with her little sister claiming that was going to kill me.

Skipper and Elena were there at the door looking at me like this might be the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me, which did nothing to help my nerves. High nerves made my stomach nuts like it didn't want to be there as much as me.

After everyone calm down, we raced to school and just made it in time for first period. I got a text from Elena asking if I was going to ask Mona to the dance today, but I told her the plan had changed. It was already a failure, so I had to go with Plan B.

We got out of class and immediately headed to the locker rooms, getting ready for practice. I was on the field first, ready to run my feelings out, when I saw the monster of my nightmares, Daniella James holding Mona's tub and walking her to her car.

Plan C.

For Crap. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

LISTEN! If I didn't start writing this romcom, I would never know peace again. I'm still going to write The Monster Mash but I NEEDED to also write another romance. It's a part of my personality now. Lol. I hope you like it!

So!! Let me know what you think! First impressions: GO! Thoughts on Zoey? Her friends? Are you excited to see Daniella again? And there's Mona in the picture too! What do you think makes the perfect girl? Is there such a thing? 

See you soon!