Noelle

“Hey, wake up." I heard from my dreams bright and early Monday morning. “Go away, idiot." I muffled into my pillow.

Of course! I knew that voice! It was Nicholas.

Suddenly, I felt water paving way into my scalp. I bolt up to see he had soaked my hair—with water. “What the hell!” I screamed, my eyes met the culprit's bright ones, he was grinning widely. “Rise and shine Cuz." He said.

“You asshole!” I yelled, jumping down from my bed and towards him to claw his eyes out for his breakfast. Seeing me charging forward, he ran out.

I squeeze most of the water from my hair and tried to go back to sleep but, no avail. Cursing Nicholas, I headed to the shower.

Taking my good time, I emerge from the shower after fifteen minutes. I glanced down at the timer resting on my nightstand and it read seven-sixteen. Humming, I dried my hair with a hair drier and ran a wide comb through it. I threw on skinny black pants with a tank top and denim jacket, also applying lip gloss and mascara. I grabbed my phone and school bag before heading down the stairs.

“You idiot,” I yelled as I spotted Nick at the bottom of the stairs, typing away on his phone. I jab into him and walked past him into the dining room. He groaned in pain before running up behind me.

“Hey sis, what’s up? Did I do anything wrong?” he said innocently as he caught up to me. I felt the urge to smash his head on the marble dining table.

"You dick brain. You got water all over my sheets."

"Oh did I? Sorry about that. Take it as a payback...for setting me up with Anna,” he shot back as he sat down for breakfast.

You know how I said only a few people knew my secret. Well, Nicholas alongside my aunt were in the club and as for the others, don’t worry, you figure them out later.

I hovered around my seat until Uncle Arnold, strolled into the room. Greeting him with a peck and a sing-song "good morning" I took my seat facing Nick. “So that’s her name. She pretty much suits your attitude anyway,” I said, sticking my tongue out at him.

He tried to stick out his tongue too but Uncle Arnold sat at the end of the dining table, giving him a scolding look. I smiled smugly at him.

Our dining room was big like every other room in the house. It was large with a chandelier positioned at the center of the room, a fireplace not too far off. The dining table was made with dark brown marble and ivory wood polished chairs.

“Good morning kids." Aunt Amanda said cheerfully as she stepped out of the kitchen. She sat next to her husband on the right side, Nicholas was seated next to her and I was seated on the left.

A few minutes later, Andrea, our help walked in with a couple of more helps with our breakfast. Andrea pretty much stayed with our family long enough for me and Nicholas to acknowledge her as family.

In fact, she even worked at PORT. She had her own bedroom and ate with us at the dining table. She even went to school!

Her mother was the former main housekeeper, she died five years ago after struggling with leukemia for several years. Leaving her seventeen-year-old daughter with us because she was a single parent.

Uncle Arnold wasted no time to adopt her and send her back to school a few months later, to finish her studies. She got a job from aunt at the office and helped out around the house when she wasn’t busy. Despite their both busy schedules, Aunt and Andrea always made us breakfast every morning.

My stomach growled when the breakfast was laid out on the table. Beacon, pancakes, scrambled egg, and fruit juice staring at me in the face, waiting for me to eat them. I slid a few pancakes on my plate, lacing them with syrup as Andrea sat next to me. I took a bite and nearly moaned aloud when the food touched my taste buds. Andrea and Aunt were such great cooks! And I, let's just say the kitchen hates me—I wasn’t much of a foodie anyway.

After breakfast, Aunt hugged Nicholas and I affectionately while Uncle threw us a mock salute before they left together. Andrea stayed back to aid in the kitchen—she could drive herself to PORT a little later and there would be no problem, besides, she was an Adams after all.

“Let’s roll Cuz,” Nicholas said a few minutes later. Saying a quick goodbye to Andrea, we both headed out. Been the older kid among both of us, I had to give Nick rides around town till whenever he grew old enough and decided to get his driver’s license.

Although Georgian High wasn’t far away, I took every opportunity to drive my baby around.

Accelerating down the streets, I turned on the radio and a catchy song came on. As always, I sang along with the radio and Nick would complain loudly about me trying to bleed his ears out.

But today, was no normal day because he turned it off.

What the fuck.

I move to turn it on but his curiosity stopped me in my tracks. “Where did you go Friday night?” he whispered in a voice I barely heard. I gave a loud groan and hit the steering wheel hard with force; he jerked back in shock at my actions.

“I’m sorry Nick; I don’t remember what happened. One minute, I was dancing with Aria and Sapphire and then, it all goes blank," I said, leaving out the part of me been with a stranger. I definitely couldn't tell my cousin that piece of information with pride.

“I found you passed out outside the door by three am. I had to carry you to bed; I think someone dropped you there. I wish I met the coward…should have broken few of his bones." He clutched both hands into fists.

I made a show of looking at my cousin’s body intently before laughing. There was no denial that Nick made an effort to keep an athletic body, he jogged every day, was on the school's football team. Heck, he even went to the gym once a week, dragging me along a few times to use as dumbbells. I didn't weight a ton so I was perfect for the job.

“Aw, Nick,” I said, with one hand still on the wheel, I used the other to wipe an imaginary tear from my eye. “You actually do care about me! I love you." I stated sincerely as the school's view appeared at a distance. I drove to the parking lot, killing the engine after finding a suitable place to park.

For a minute, Nicholas had a happy look on his face then he smiled smugly. "Pseesh, forget it. I just didn’t want you getting busted by Mom even worse Dad, see you later, Spray tan." I glared at him as he stepped out of the car.

Out of the numerous nicknames in the world Nick could pick, he picked Spray tan.

"Why do you call me that?" Was the question I asked him after a year he started. He said because I looked naturally tanned. It was a keen observation, We the Adams were half-Jamaicans, and I was among one of the lucky few with tanned skin.

Locking up the car, I paved my way around the crowd of students hanging out in the parking lot to the entrance of school buildings.

A smile evaded my face when I noticed Aria and Sapphire coming towards me from only God knows where. We met at the front steps of the school buildings.

“Hey girl, how are you?” Aria said her voice was raspy, like she had run a mile and trust me; she wasn't much of a runner. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, wearing a floral sundress that was few inches below her knees.

Reaching the doors, I held one open for both to enter before preceding through it myself. Georgian High was a beautiful sight. The hallways and the tiles were spotless, things in the school were organized. Exception of the damaged lockers at one side of the halls which some rival school had destroyed.

We walked silently to Sapphire’s locker because it was the closest to the school's entrance. While Aria's and mine were situated far back.

“So Elle, I was wondering where you took off to Friday night. Did you have fun? How was the guy?” Saph said excitedly as she opened her locker whilst Aria and I leaned against lockers at opposite sides of hers.

Sapphire Diamond aka Saph was my second best friend. Like her names, she was a gem of a person and an only child. She took great pride in her name, calling it “her good luck charm" she was beautiful, her face was sculpted to perfection. She had perfectly arc eyebrows, her long blond hair; which was left loose—reaching below her back and bright hazel eyes. She loved makeup, fashion and her most prized possession of all; her body. We became fast friends in junior year, by that time she just moved to California in the middle of the school year.

Immediately we met, we clicked instantly. Later that day, she also became immediate friends with Aria—presumably because of their similar fashion sense. Like me, she was single but not searching. Story cut short; things did not go great with her last boyfriend.

“Yeah, I actually did. Thanks to you Weirdo's." I snapped at them. I knew I was been plain rude but, they cause everything in the first place. Been drama queens, they decided I needed a break. So they placed a bet of five hundred dollars for me to go to a popular club called Scarlett’s, get wasted, grind and make out with a guy.

It was pretty easy so I took on the challenge, I mean, every teen likes money! Even if your family is rich.

And there I was bright and early Monday morning, still with no clue of what happened to me on Friday night, other than having sex with a other stranger.

“Elle, it was for your own sake. You kept drowning in self-pity. We had to do something to make you live a little without your phone for a night." Aria said and Saph nodded in support.

Narrowing my eyes at them, I trotted off. Leaving them standing there, and ignoring their loud calls of my name. I took a quick trip to my locker before heading to the homeroom.

It didn’t make any difference though because all three of us shared the homeroom.

I wasn’t angry at them, I just was looking for excuses to blame my mistakes on others.

Suddenly, I ran into a wall. Metaphorically, It was a guy. The falls' impact had me losing my balance, I fell back only to be saved by strong arms pulling me up to regain my balance.

Hissing in pain, I rubbed my forehead. I looked up and groaned in pain at the sight of 'who' was standing in front of me.

God. Why do you hate me?

It was Lucas Tate, Aria’s playful and prankster of a brother.