Naturally, the day had to start off with rain.

I didn't know it at the time of course, but that rain was an omen of much more than just another below average day. It was the end of what I used to consider normal. If there is such a thing.

My alarm blares in my ear, not that I need it. I'm physically incapable of sleeping in past five thirty in the morning, and the sound of the rain pelting the tin roof woke me before even that, so by the time my alarm does decide to begins its relentless attack on my ears, it only takes me one second to turn the stupid thing off instead of the usual two extra snooze attempts I usually use up before school.

Ugh, school.

Yet another unextraordinary day at Pletzer Prep awaits me. As if that statement alone isn't enough to make me really want to drag my feet on the way into the bathroom to grab a shower, thunder shakes the bones of the house as a reminder of the storm that brews outside. Again I have to curse the fates for making it rain today. Couldn't I just get one day? One day to go right?

I make my way down the hall and into the single bathroom I share with my brother and uncle. One look at the pile of dirty socks and boxers shoved to the side of the room and the toilet seat standing up, but yet still managing to have dried pee on it, gives me the same thought I've had every single day since Bekham and me moved to this little house with Uncle Terry and Aunt Lauren.

No girl should be forced to share a bathroom with the male species.

It didn't used to be as bad when Aunt Lauren was still alive. She used to actually enjoy running around the house and cleaning up after the boys all the time, but now she's gone and her duty falls to me. I'd like to think if I could just ignore the messes for long enough that the guys would eventually do something about it, but I'm too freaked out by roaches and rats to let any mess go for too long. It isn't worth the risk of having something crawl on me.

I take a slightly longer shower than usual. I don't need to budget time for doing my hair since the stupid rain is going to ruin it no matter what I do, so I take my time. When I finish I brush my teeth, brush out my blonde locks, wrap up in my robe and then breathing only through my mouth I collect all of the dirty laundry from the floor and trudge it down to the kitchen and shove it all in the washer before I start on scrabbling some eggs for breakfast.

"Morning." Uncle Terry grumbles from the stairs when he comes down to sit at the table where I've laid out his plate, the paper, and a cup of coffee.

"Morning." I say back with equal enthusiasm. "Seen Becks?" I ask as I slide some eggs out of the skillet and onto his plate and then the other two plates I set out on the table.

He shakes his head as he takes a big gulp of his coffee. "Was after two when the kid got in last night." He informs me before going back to the paper.

I roll my eyes and rush upstairs. If Becks isn't ready to leave the house in thirty minutes we're going to miss the bus. I take the creaky stairs two at a time and turn left at the landing, pushing open Beckham's door.

"Woah, Lena, come on!" Becks shouts, turning away from the door to cover his junk. "Ever fucking heard of knocking?"

"Ever heard of-." I start to gripe at him about needing a new alarm so that he doesn't keep over sleeping but then my eyes scan across the room and I really wish I would have knocked, or even just left without him. There are two barely dressed girls laying in the bed, one of them I think I have fourth period bio with. "God, Becks, really?" I roll my eyes. "Get ready to go or we will be late."

"That would be tragic." He says sarcastically, pulling up a pair of jeans before going over to the bed to slap one of the girls on the butt, making her giggle hysterically. "Wake up girls."

I cross my arms and shake my head. I seriously wonder how we are related sometimes. "Becks you know what today is, right?" I remind him, my stomach flipping around at the thought of it.

He furrows his brows before realization crosses his face. "Shit, I forgot. Ok, give me five minutes." He tells me then turns back to the bed. "Get up! I leave the house in ten minutes!" He claps his hands to get the girls moving.

I leave the room before I have to see anymore of girl one and two's implants and go back to my room to get dressed. There is one thing to be said about Plexer Prep, and that's that our uniforms make life much easier. I don't have to worry about what to wear every morning or if someone is going to make fun of my clothes because we are all wearing the exact same thing.

I don my red and white pleated skirt and button up my crisp white top, buttoning higher than necessary to cover up my cleavage. I slide my smooth freshly shaven legs into my knee high socks and slip my feet back into my house shoes before going back up the hall to brush my hair out one more time in the bathroom, nervous energy making me extra jittery. 

I hear the shower turn on as I reach the door and groan. I shove it open and stomp over to the sink to grab my hairbrush. "Becks, I don't have time for you to shower. You should have thought of having time to get ready before you show up in the middle of the night with two more basics. We've really got to go if we're going to make it to the bus stop."

I hear a deep chuckle and my heart instantly stops and then hits double time as I turn to face the shower. The curtain pulls back slightly and Weston freaking Ford leans the top half of his naked body out to shake his head, sending water flying at me. "Look Pencil Neck, I'm a little busy in here at the moment, so unless you plan to join me, you should probably get out of here."

I can't help the way my eyes shamelessly rove over his wet biceps and thickly muscle wrapped shoulders but once I make it to his smug asshole face I set my jaw and cross my arms. "This is my bathroom, Weston. Why don't you stop crashing here and sleep at your own house and then we can save ourselves, primarily me, from having to be caught in your disgusting presence."

Weston Ford.

I can't believe I ever seriously liked this guy. He is the biggest pig, and giantest asshole, I don't even care that that isn't a word. When describing Weston freaking Ford you don't need to use real words because the awfulness of this one senior is so real that the words don't even have to be.

I jump as another, smaller hand grips the shower curtain, pulling it back even further, not hiding anything anymore. "Wait, did you just call me basic?" One of the blondes from the bedroom asks, draping her hand across Weston's wet chest.

I stammer for words, but I can only see Weston's naked body just standing there and all dripping wet. My eyes are everywhere, and probably bugging out of my head too. He notices and pulls the curtain back, hiding the girl and most of his body again and He grins like the absolute devil he is. "I know, right?" He laughs, looking down at his body "Looks a little different since back in the day when we'd play doctor, don't it?" He winks and my blood boils.

Is he seriously making a joke right now? A little different? The word little and...that, do not belong in the same sentence. Also, how dare he actually mention when we were kids? He's the one who always likes to pretend that someone as cool as him could never in a million years have ever called me a friend. God he's just so...so...

He narrows his eyes at me, then bites into his bottom lip. "So, like I said before...little busy here." He tilts his head to the other side of the curtain in reference to the girl and then he smirks. "Either get in, or go."

I blink in confusion before the annoyance catches up to me. "God, you are a giant prick!"

He throws his head back laughing and my face burns. "You said it, not me." He cackles.

Ok, I'd set myself up for that one, but who can think when you just came face to face with that thing? "I hate you." I spit.

He just shrugs. "That's cool, I don't give a shit about you enough to even hate you, but I'm glad to know I left an impression on you." He turns away. "I think you know where the door is, this being your bathroom and all."

I open and close my mouth a few times, trying to come up with any come back but finally I turn quickly to go. "By the way, nice bunny slippers, cupcake!" The girl calls as I slam the door.

"Damn, Lena, sorry." Becks mumbles as he comes out his room shoving his arms into his crimson red blazer. "I forgot to tell you he was here."

I stomp down the stairs away from him. "Like you ever tell me when that asshole is around." I grumble. I hear his footsteps behind me and he catches me by the elbow, spinning me to face him before I go into the kitchen.

"Hey, Lena, I'm sorry." He gives me his big grey puppy dog eyes and a little of my anger subsides, at least what I was feeling towards him. "I shouldn't have brought him with me today of all days and I'm sorry. You're going to do great though." He rubs the tops of my shoulders.

I cover my face with my hands and groan into them. "I already know it's going to be so awful." I mumble. "I'm just ready to get it over with."

"You know I'll be right there for you." He leans in, bumping his head against mine like we used to do when we were little. We wanted to be cooler than the siblings that had secret handshakes or made up some stupid language. We thought a head bump was different and it was. We realized after the first few times that the crap kind of hurts, but we were committed to it. "I'll be in the wings if you need me."

I laugh, something that these days only two people can make me do. My best friend Yasmine, and Beckham. "I bet I'll see you on stage with me." I wink.

He puts a hand to his broad chest and gasps in fake shock. "Lena Proper did you just give away privileged information?" He chuckles.

"No," I admit, "I haven't been given the results yet, but I know who the school loves."

"As long as you love me I don't care about everyone else."

"You know I do."

"Proper over everything." He nods to me seriously. "We're all we got, sis."

My smile drops after one second. I smell him before I see him, his heavy spiced cologne wafting down the stairs before the ass himself clomps down the stairs two at a time. "Hate to interrupt a sibs moment here, but you and me gotta talk." He brushes between us, clapping an arm around Beck's shoulders and leading him away from me.

Yeah. I scoff to myself. I bet you really hate that.

It's like I'm right back to being a kid again.

The summer before middle school our dad thought it would be a good idea for Beckham and me to try out some activities. After our mom ran off and left us he was always trying too hard to be the perfect single parent. Becks went away to summer camp and I joined a summer art class at the YMCA. It was that summer that I met the new kid who had just moved here from Iowa when I was at the park. He was shy, and funny and sweet. We laughed and played for hours that day and we were nearly inseparable for the next three months. It all changed though the second he met my brother at my brother's welcome home party. I'd stupidly been so excited to introduce them, thinking we'd all be best friends. Instead, they hit it off and I was left behind.

That boy was Weston Ford.

I watch from the stairs alone as he and my brother drop into the seats at the dining table with my uncle. I snap out of my funk when I see Weston lift my fork from the table.

"Hey," I rush over. "That's my breakfast." I snap standing over him while he shovels a big bite of my eggs into his stupid mouth.

"Oh?" He asks with his mouth full then he swallows hard, holding eye contact as he brings the empty fork to his mouth and sucks on it, making sure to add extra slobbering sounds before he pulls it out with a smile and offers me the fork. "Here ya go." He smiles innocently, but I know there is nothing innocent about his pearly smile or those annoyingly perfect kaleidoscope blue eyes. 

I stare down at him in disgust and then turn away to go grab a yogurt from the fridge. I hear a thud sound when my back is turned and the table shake followed by a grunt from Weston. I glance back over my shoulder to see him leaned down rubbing his leg with a scrunched face while my brother grins at me. He must have kicked him pretty hard.

Good. If only he'd done it a little higher.

"Eat fast." I tell them. "The bus will be coming soon."

Weston scrapes his chair back from the table, already having inhaled all of my breakfast and he walks to the front door to fling on his backpack. "No bus." He shakes his head and fishes out his car keys. "Beckham and me have the Jag today." I don't miss how he doesn't include me.

"Not making Lena ride the bus alone." Becks says around his toast in his mouth while he ties his shoes.

Weston groans, leaning his head back to look at the water damaged ceiling. "Uhhh, fine." He mutters, looking back down at me. Glaring is more like it. "Pencil Neck can come." Then he smiles to himself, throwing a lude glance at me. "Or can she?"

"God, I'd rather walk than ride with you." I snarl.

"Fine by me." He grins.

The thunder shakes the house again, a not so soft reminder that even if I do take the bus, I've still got to walk a block to get to the bus stop. Thankfully Beckham saves me from having to retract my statement and end up begging for a ride with them. "Both of you need to just stop. It's too early for me to be pulling referee duty. Lena you're riding with us," He tells me then turns to Weston. "West, you keep your mouth shut the whole ride."

"Fine."

"Fine." We glare at each other across the room.

I go back to the table and clear the plates, loading them into the dishwasher and then kiss Uncle Terry on the cheek before I go to meet the boys at the door.

"Have a good one." He calls to us as we step out into the storm.

Weston opens a giant umbrella and the three of us duck beneath it. I hate being in such close proximity with Weston, but I hate being drenched even more so I tolerate it for the moment. When we get to the car, Weston holds it up for Beckham to get into the passenger seat, but the second he closes his door Weston whips the umbrella away and runs to the other side of the car, leaving me in the downpour while I try to jerk the back door open but it's locked.

"Weston!" I scream and I hear his laughter over the sound of the rain.

I finally feel the door click and I jump into the car as quickly as possible, already soaked through my clothes, my hair hanging wet down my shoulders. Getting in the car is no reprieve however because sharing the backseat with me are the two bimbos that they'd brought home from god knows where last night.

"Oh good." The blonde from the shower rolls her eyes while she turns to her friend. "It's the girl who called us basics." Then she slowly turns back to me. "Who are you anyway?"

Both of these girls are in my grade.

I'm literally such a nobody they don't even realize we go to the same school, and I'm literally wearing the same uniform as them.

"Lena Proper." I sigh. "I'm in your biology class." I point out to the girl on the other side but she just shrugs.

Fantastic.

What a great way to start off the day that is sure to be the most embarrassing day of my entire high school career. The universe is definitely against me.