(4) Locker placement at Pentingswood High is not on fleek

Lovely banner by eveninglatte

Ever heard the saying 'first is the worst'? Turns out, it's true.

My mom left on a business trip, and Elle left for school early with Parker.

People that think the worst thing in the world is going back to school seriously underestimate the feeling of going back to a new school.

Basically it sucks ass.

The people are most likely going to treat you like a piece of dirt. That got stepped on. And eaten, and went through someone's system and then got stepped on again. And then, scraped off of their shoe with a look of disgust. Welcome to hell. Aka high school.

Senior year is supposed to be good. I guess that is, when you have the perfect boyfriend, perfect friend group, perfect grades (except that damn B-plus in pre calc), and perfect for practically anything else. I don't even need perfect, I'd settle for familiar.

I know of two friends and one foe at this school. All I have to do, is stay by Elle or Parker, and avoid Boxer Boy.

Which should be easy considering there are four hundred plus students in my grade and I only have to watch for three of them.

Elle is so sweet, she probably has tons of friends that are nice and will welcome me into their group.

And Parker...can't exactly say he's nice. I smirk, maybe he'll have some hot friends.

Stupid thoughts I'm getting now that I'm hanging around Elle so often. They uninvitedly rented a place in my head and never take vacation days.

I glance upward at the French metal clock, that's rustic looking on the edges. 7:19. Time to leave.

Also unfortunately for me, I do not own a car.

Walking, it is.

I grab my phone and shove it into the pocket of my denim jeans, quickly pull a sweatshirt over my head, and leave the house, locking the door behind me.

The walk to school is peaceful, nice even. Except for the fact that I clearly misinterpreted my pain tolerance in these shoes. Pain is beauty, I guess.

I bend down and unfasten and refasten the straps on my black combat boots.

After this day, I swear my feet will be more blister than skin.

I sigh and continue my trek to school.

A whole half hour later, I'm walking through the doors into my new home away from home, seeing as they lock us up in this torture center for long enough.

It's nice, but basic. I stop by the guidance counselor immediately to get my schedule and my locker com. The schedule, I'm holding, tucked under my sweatshirt. The locker com however, I have no clue.

Finally, one of the office ladies walks over to me, "Are you Alexis Anderson?"

I nod, "That would be me."

She glances at her clipboard, "And you would be a...senior?"

I chuckle awkwardly. Why do I get so awkward around people. It's like my nerves die or something and I feel the need to laugh or fidget or ramble, "Correct."

Correct? I don't say words like correct.

What is even happening, I sound like an eighty year old woman that's trying to be hip by saying words like hip.

"Unfortunately, due to the amount of, uh, transfers we've had recently, there are no more available lockers in the senior wing. The junior wing is also filled, and the sophomores are all the way in the basement. We considered placing you with the special educated, but their teachers prefer you to not be there. So we've come to the solution that you will have a locker at the end of the uh, freshman hallway."

Freshman.

Are you.

Fracking.

Kidding me.

I laugh, "Your kidding right?"

She gives me a tight lipped smile.

I might as well start shopping at Aeropostale and dip dye my hair in cool aid. I'll blend right in.

-

-

-

"Hey are you new here?" A younger looking guy comes up to me. He'd be cute, if he used a little hair gel, acted like less of a player, and oh yeah, maybe was IN MY GRADE!

He slicks his hair back and glances back towards his now laughing group of friends. Honestly, the poor guy was probably dared to come over here.

After a not so subtle glance towards my frontal area, he gets the hint that I don't want him over here, and leaves.

My phone vibrates in my pocket.

1 new message

From: ?

So your a pedophile to? Oh well, least your not checking ME out.

I shiver and lock my phone. Stupid over obsessive fangirls trying to copy gossip girl and A.

The bell rings a horrible god awful sound, so I quickly grab my books, slam the locker and head upstairs to my first class.

The day basically rolled along. By rolling I mean, it basically flopped down Mount Everest.

Finally, lunch came.

I grab my lunchbox and look around trying to find Elle.

The lunchroom seemed like a horrible evil place. Everyone sat with their tables, laughing and talking about who knows what, while I stood there looking around like an idiot.

"Hey new girl." A guy glances up at me, a cheeky smirk settled over his face, "Wanna sit with us? We have an empty spot for one." He pats his lap, "First class seat right here."

I smile innocently, "I'm sorry, but if I wanted to deal with players, I would've joined a sports team."

I approach another table. The girls sitting at it were chittering away, every once and a while a coy laugh erupted from the center of their table.

"Excuse me. . .have any of you seen Elle Jansen? Know where I can find her?" I scratch the back of my neck and shift my wait from foot to foot subconsciously.

One snorts, chocolate milk practically spilling out her nose, "Like she'd talk to you."

I look at her with a confused glance.

Suddenly, I spot her.

The entire cafeteria was laid out in rectangle tables, aside from a circle one, directly in the center.

And seated on a chair laughing away at the circular table was the crimson brown colored hair belonging to Elle Jansen.

She sat there with two other guys. Parker, and one I didn't know.

Nervously, I walk over. What did those other girls mean? Was Elle a different person outside of school?

She notices me and stands up and throws her arms around me, before pulling me down onto the seat next to her, "Guys, this is Lexa Anderson, she moved here from Cali, if you'd withhold your bitchiness towards her, it'd be greatly appreciated." She breathes, "Lex, this is Jared, and well you know Parker. Mason is supposed to be here, I have no clue where he is." She smiles.

I smile back, mostly out of relief. So many unexpected good things have happened, despite the unfortunate ones, that I didn't even think about Boxer Boy. Until-

"You're in my spot." A low throaty voice sounds from behind me.

Elle chuckles, "Hey Mase."

He stares at me, his eyes boring into mine. They were mesmerizing, like a piece of the ocean itself was trapped in there.

"Problem?" Elle raises an eyebrow. She forms her mouth into an o, and looks at me, "Oh my god, Mason is Boxer Boy?!"

"Elle, shut up." I whisper shout at her.

Parker looks over at us, "Lex, Mase, Mase, Lex. Now you know each other."

"We already have a long history." I assure them.

"Dang, Mason, you banged the new girl already?" Jared looks over at him with a look of approval and reaches out his hand for a high five.

Mason slaps it, still smirking at me.

I bite my lip, trying to keep my pale cheeks from blushing scarlet.

"Lexa? Bathroom?" Elle looks at me.

I nod and get up to follow her.

-

-

-

"E, why did you have to say somet-" I start.

"Omigod Lex, do you even remember what you told me?! I mean, I heard all of that, but I never thought you'd be talking about Mason!" She grins excitedly, earning some questionable glances from the others in the bathrooms.

"Please don't say they're in your friend group." I plead.

"Oh yeah." She nods, ticking off her fingers, "There's me, Mase, Park, and Jared. Fab Four. Although they hate being called that. But now that you're here, it's the Fab Five, and they can choose to accept that or deal with our wrath."

"Elle! What do you not understand? I checked out his boxers! His condoms!" My voice now raising above a normal talking tone. Alright, now people are definitely staring at us.

"Everyone checks him out. But you saw his boxers? Sweet!" A girl says from inside one of the stalls.

First of all, ew! Second of all:

"No, not checked him out, I mean I-"

A group comes up to me, "You slept with Mason Derivan?" The girls eyes are wide.

"I-no-" I pause unsure of what to say.

"Cool." She responds her eyes lighting up with joy. She turns to her friend giggling, "Wish he paid that much attention to me."

"Girls can only dream." One responds.

They chat amongst themselves and compliment Elle on various things before exiting the bathroom.

Elle grins at me, "You're basically the talk of the school now."

"But I didn't do it!" I say, frustrated.

"Talk to him and tell him to call off all the rumors if you care that much."

I look at her. She's popular, probably used to being talked about all the time. I'm sure this is a typical thing to her.

"Plus." She continues, "From the way you were describing him before you found out that he was one of my friends , you're totally into him. C'mon, time to go back out."

I sigh, glancing at the mirror and running my fingers through my messy hair, attempting to get it half in order.

"Lex." Elle smirks from the door, "Primping yourself for him now too?"

"Ha ha, very funny." I mock laugh before glaring at her playfully.

We exit the bathrooms and make our way through the crowds of people to get to our table.

As we're walking I realize how different this is from back home.

Back in California, the best of the best were blonde, tanned, and beautiful. They didn't ever talk to someone like me, let alone invite me to be apart of their group and actually care. The girls had the typical surfer boyfriends, who probably cared too much about their hair gel being spot on at every second of the day.

Here, Elle glides through the swarms of tables easily. She turns, "Lex, let's go."

I continue following her, almost tripping, due to a stray foot sticking out into one of the tiny aisles.

We make our way back to the tables. Mason, Parker, and Jared are engrossed in what looks like a major debate. The debate, mysteriously silences as we approach the table.

I look towards Parker, eyebrows raised. He blushes, the faintest shade of candy apple red appearing on his cheeks. His eyes light up when he smiles. Their color, looking better than chocolate, shining and the more I look at them, the more I realize he's smiling with more than his mouth. His eyes smile, and one look in them has me mesmerized.

"Tsk, tsk, why so quiet?" Elle asks cockily, folding one leg over the other, "Mason? I'd ask Parker but from the way he's basically having eye sex with Lexa, I doubt he's in any state to give me a logical and reasonable answer."

Mason smirks, "You really want to know?"

Elle nods.

He winks at me before turning back to her and leaning forward slightly, like he's going to whisper in her ear. His lips part and my breath hitches, "Too bad you'll never find out, pretty girl." He says, his face already conforming into its usual smirk.

Elle jerks away, squealing, "For the last time Mase, quit with the pet names!" She laughs, "I am not and will never be your latest conquest. Those poor girls." She shivers in what looks like disgust.

"They know what they're getting into." Mason replies smoothly.

The thing is, I don't know, Mason Derivan.

I don't.

A/N:

Overall chapter thoughts? Sorry it's been a few days, finals are coming up. Thanks for 150+ reads! Can we get 15 votes on this chapter? 15 comments?

Don't be a silent reader!

Favorite character?

Least favorite?

Lexa and Parker or Lexa and Mason?

(Or Mason and Parker? For those of you that don't want to break up their bromance. Bromance game strong👌🏻)

Thanks for reading loves!

❤️❤️❤️ ~tinylighthearted

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