Chapter 1
"Oh my God Chloe! I missed you so much! How was your vacation?" Bella squealed and hugged me.
"It was really fun, we did and saw so many amazing things. Best experience I could've asked for" I told her after we broke the hug.
Over the summer my family, along with my aunt, uncle and cousins, went on a trip together traveling the US from country to country. It was very special.
"How was your vacation?" I asked her.
"Well, nothing exciting like you, you know. After we celebrated together it was boring all summer, my birthday was kinda lame too" she replied.
Bella is one of my best friends, we became friends in 7th grade and since then even though we are not sharing any classes we are really close.
Her birthday was in the summer and since I was about to travel with my family I couldn't make it, so I surprised her at her house with balloons, then we went out to eat and celebrated alone.
"Bummer. Well at least now I'm here and we can go out as many times as you want" I reassured her.
"I'm holding you up for that" she said when the bell rang "Well got to go to class, see you later C"
"Later"
How great. My senior year has officially begun.
I'm headed to my first class on my first day of senior year and wondering if I did right by coming back to school.
All I really want is to pass this year. Just this.
I'm entering my class when I see my classmates, we all smile and greet each other until class starts.
I'm grateful for my classmates. We are closer than the average class, I guess it's because we are also fewer pupils than the average class.
I take my usual seat near my closest friend, Ruby.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I immediately detect when I see her seating with a bummed face.
"I think Leo wants to break up with me" she admitted.
"What?" I furrowed my eyebrows "Why would you think that?" There's no way after all this time he was pursuing her that he'll break up with her.
"I don't know... he's always around Phoebe, he knows I hate her. God, how can you be friends with her?" She held her head between her hands.
"Are you sure he's always around her? And not the other way?" Sounds more likely to me. Leo loves Ruby, they got together not too long ago after finally managing to get out of the friendzone.
Besides, with the way Phoebe is acting around boys lately, it's more like she's the one who's after Leo.
Phoebe and I know each other since first grade. We weren't really in touch until 6th grade, we became close friends but lately, she started hanging out with other people and became a different person, I don't like it. At all.
She liked Leo at the same time Ruby liked him, they both were close to him but before the end of sophomore year, Ruby and I were closer to him.
Ruby shrugged.
"Why don't you talk to Gil about it? See what he thinks" I whispered when I saw him coming towards us.
Ruby, Leo, Gil, and I became close friends, more than the others. Ever since the end of sophomore year when we started to hang out a lot together. Leo and Ruby were always dancing around each other until surprisingly, they finally got together just before this summer.
"Hey girls, what's up?" Gil greeted us.
"Great how are you?" I smiled.
"Hey! Why you disappeared on us over the summer?" Ruby accused.
"What? You didn't hang out while I was gone?" I was surprised. We used to meet almost all the time.
"Nah, you weren't there and I didn't feel like being 3rd wheel" Gil explained.
"So you guys didn't do anything all summer? Now I feel guilty"
"Next time don't bail on us"
Before I had time to react to what Ruby said Leo came in.
"Did I miss anything?" He amused.
"Hey dude" Leo and Gil did their Man hug thing while I saw Ruby was debating whether to kiss him or just hug him.
They didn't used to be a couple at school.
"Hey babe" Leo said to Ruby and cut her off her misery when he decided to go with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey" she smiled slightly at him.
Ruby wasn't an affectionate girl. I think I never saw her cry or get embarrassed or excited about something. She was more like 'don't talk to me, I hate people, let me sleep' kind of girl.
Leo was like Ruby but as the male version. I guess that's why they fit so well.
Gil was the smart one, he has this old person wisdom. He always comes up with random facts and has the best advice.
When we first got to know each other back in sophomore year he had a crush on me. I guess it disappeared when we became friends.
"Oh no" Ruby lowered her head to the desk.
"What's wrong?"
She murmured something and pointed to the door where I saw Phoebe, Daphne and Lucy come inside.
I laughed at Ruby's behavior. I wonder how she hates people so much and yet she's my closest friend and the other way around. She's cool and fun but not a lot of people get to know that.
"Oh my gosh, our senior year can you believe it?" Daphne squealed.
"Hey guys" cheerful Lucy came towards us.
Lucy is a very cute girl, there's no way she'll ever be sad. She's always having this weird happy energy that I can't understand. But she's very funny. Even Ruby can tolerate her sometimes.
Unlike Phoebe and Daphne. They used to be cool until Daphne got very bossy and decided everyone needs to do as she says. Phoebe became hungry for attention.
There was a time where all five of us were closer until we grew up and grew apart. Yet I'm still cool with them.
We all greeted each other, Ruby glared at Phoebe while she hugged Leo and the rest of our classmates took their seats.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"God, I hate our teachers this year" Ruby said when classes were over and all the first-day crap was about to end. we had two more classes to go to.
Now we walked with Leo and Gil towards the cafeteria.
"They're the worst" Leo agreed.
Gil and I looked at each other and laughed while we took our seats. Leo is obviously near Ruby, facing Gil and me.
"You do realize that we have the same teacher as last year right?" He asked amused.
"They're meaner this year" Ruby murmured while she ate her sandwich.
"So C, when are we going to hear all about your gran trip?" Gil put his arm around my shoulder. He likes to do that since I'm so short it's like I'm his traveling arm set - according to his words.
I was about to answer and yell at him once again to get his hand off when I heard footsteps approaching us.
"Hey Gil, forgot to tell you. The first game is on Thursday, are you up for that?"
Of course, this is the one guy I'd want to avoid.
I didn't turn my head to look at him; instead, I looked at Ruby and saw she looked at me too.
She's one of the few that knows that we were best friends once. Until he decided to ditch me and become some popular douchebag.
Sadly, he's not even those douches from the movies you can hate. He's like those that everyone respects because he treats everyone nicely.
Everyone.
EXCEPT ME
"Sure Noah I'll be there" Gil confirmed.
"Great man, see you there" Noah went back to his table.
"What game?" Ruby asked.
"Foosball. There are usually arranged players that we like to bet on. This time Noah and Gil play, I'm betting on my boy here" Leo slapped Gil's shoulder.
"Oh really? I didn't know you do that" I was surprised they even hang out in the same crowd.
"We started this summer actually. You'll see they're great once you start to get to know them" Gill took a sip from his drink.
"Sure" I faked a smile and turned to Ruby "Hey since the boys will be busy maybe we should go out too" I suggested enthusiastically.
"Nah"
"Come on! we haven't been able to have a girls time for so long"
"Whose fault is that" she teased.
"Great! So it on?"
She groaned "Fine. But we are staying at home watching a movie"
"Great. I'll make sure I have ice cream" I smiled. Happy that I won.
"Forget Thursday, why won't we do something today?" Gil suggested "We can celebrate your return and the start of our senior year" he turned to me.
"Our senior year. The last year" I murmured to myself.
"Exactly" I guess I was heard.
Ruby groaned again.
"Sure. My house?" Leo offered like always.
His house became our regular place. He has this huge TV in the GARDEN so we always hang out there and they eat meat. Except me. I'm vegetarian.
We all looked at Ruby to agree.
"Gee fine"
We all laughed.
Hello guys!
Welcome to my story!
Be warned, this is not your normal highschool romance. This is a book about love, friends, secrets and struggles. it'll make you laugh and it'll make you cry.
Have fun!
With love,
Ella Lorain❤️