CHAPTER 33: they tried to put me on the cover of Vogue

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What to wear? What to wear?

We had a week of celebrations due to the end of exams week. It feels good to be alive because, at this moment, I could actually live without worrying about another exam for at least a few weeks maybe a month if I'm lucky.

Our school may care about the uniform, but they really don't care about what clothes we wear other than that. Someone could come in wearing a bikini and they wouldn't care. I picked out my beige skirt and a white tank top.

"Brielle, Nicole's here to pick you up!" my mother shouted from downstairs. Before I could even react, Nicole bursts through my door and I stared at her with shock in my eyes.

"I thought you were going to wait downstairs," I said to her and she shrugs, settling on my bed and checking out my outfit for today, "does this look good? I don't know about the top."

She smiled once again before giving me the thumbs up. I head into my bathroom to change as she remained there on her phone, checking through the school web page. As I got ready, I could hear her talking, probably filming a new update that would go up when we arrive in school.

I took my towel off and put on my bra and panties before moving onto my skirt, which I shimmied into, putting my belt on after. I tucked my tank top in my skirt before looking at myself in the mirror. Checking myself over, I smiled before heading out where Nicole stood up and rushed to me, her arm going over my shoulders to pull me to her.

"Hey, Brielle, tell me you're excited for this week. This is where the boys truly go wild and I'm pretty sure we're in store for an out of control week. Tell everyone you're excited!" I smiled at the camera awkwardly before breathing out.

"Yeah, I'm excited. Apparently, Owen and his gang have set pranks in the school for the teachers so I'm set for laughing my ass off. Anyway, it'll be nice to just let loose after all the stressful days we've had." I winked before going off to grab my school bag. Nicole started to walked out of my room, continuing her video as I followed after her with my books in my arms. 

As Nicole drove us through the school parking lot, I spotted Owen and Jaxon's car behind us. Their windows were down and the boys were playing loud music on the radio. As I looked over at Nicole, I just shook my head smiling. We stopped suddenly when we saw Jim crossing whilst on his phone. He looked up in surprise, pushing his glasses further up his face.

"Jimmy, boy! Might want to watch where you're going otherwise I'll have no one to copy math answers to!" Nicole exclaimed as Jim just shook his head with a smile, scratching the back of his neck, "I'm just kidding. I'll see you later in math, booboo."

"Yeah, I'll see you there," he said loudly as he ran up the stairs into school, waving back at us. Nicole grinned before turning a corner and parking us into a spot, the boys following after, parking in a space on the other side, just a few spots on our left. Nicole stopped the car and I got out, the heat of the sun radiating upon me. I got out from cramped space of the two cars around me and saw Owen.

God, what a sight, I thought.

He was wearing his white fitted shirt and black jeans. He had his leather jacket hooked on his finger and slung behind him. Phew, is it getting hot in here or what?

I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand before following after Nicole into the school. We walked up the stairs together and headed through the big double doors to the floors of shiny marble and to the navy lockers, clean and sparkling. I don't know why they cleaned this school up, but they did a pretty good job.

Things were getting back to normal in school. Well, kind of. There was still the nagging thought of dad in the back of my mind, but I would just shrug it off. Luckily for me, volleyball was a great way for me to release all that pent up stress.

I buttoned up the two undone buttons on my PE shirt before fixing the collar and adjusting my shorts. It has been a while since I last practised. Mostly because I was busy with my Art Project. The boys were there as well, dripping in sweat after they've finished their PE class. Nicole was busy talking to me as we made our way down towards the volleyball court. I rubbed my hands together in excitement as we made our way there.

"Okay, girls, get on the court and warm up!" our coach shouted and we made our way on, stretching and jogging around a couple of times. It may have not been obvious, but I could hear the boys on the bleachers. Okay, I'll admit it, our shorts could be less tight and instead, we should have skorts, but no, the school classically insists on this.

Our coach soon talks us through a few details before we're split into two teams. Me and Nicole were up against Cass and Kelly when the coach blew the whistle and we began playing. All I can say is that we're all still a bit...how would you call it...tired? Dazed? I don't know, but our late reactions weren't doing us justice. Maybe it was the fact the boys were watching, some of them cheering as well.

"Oh, come on, Kels, I thought you were good at volleyball!" I heard someone shout before turning to see Darren being pushed back into his seat by Owen, who was glaring at him through clenched teeth. When I went to look at Kelly, she was sweating whilst heavily panting. I was quite far from her, but I could tell her eyes were red and the corner of her eyes stung with tears.

"Kelly, don't listen to him. He's a jackass," I told her when the coach snapped at me for using bad language. Owen's attitude was definitely growing on me. I mean, look at me, I just swore in the teacher's presence. She blew the whistle once again and we started playing again.

I'll admit, Kelly's amazing at volleyball. She always wins for her team, but today, I didn't know what it was but her demeanour's changed. I can feel the heat of a spitting fire upon her and to the others, it was also quite obvious.

She spiked the ball to our side of the court, slamming it into the ground before it bounced a few times and was retrieved by someone on my team before a new game started again. We gained some points and so did the other team, but the majority of those points were due to Kelly and her...temper. Something clearly happened between Darren and Kelly because Kelly was definitely angry.

"Twenty seconds, ladies!" our coach shouted before blowing her whistle once again. God, you could go deaf by that. We started play again and the sweat started forming on my forehead and I wiped it off as I saw people on my team pass the ball to one another.

"Harley! Harley! To me!" I shouted as she passed the ball. I jumped up and spiked the ball to the other side of the court where it slammed on the ground just as soon as the whistle rang again. I shouted once again, cheering with the rest of my team as we jumped around. Are we the winning team? Yes, we're the winning team! Woo, you go sister!

After our mini celebration, we headed to the bleachers where we collected our drinks, taking huge sips of them whilst panting heavily. I think my cheeks might be red hot right about now. Some of my baby hairs were sticking out as I smoothed my hair back.

Owen came down, clutching his shirt in his hand as he pressed it to my forehead to get rid of the sweat. I grimaced in disgust, pulling away from him as he chuckled. My face screwed up in distaste as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Ew, that's got your sweat on it," I told him as he shrugged before slinging it over his shoulder and bringing me to him, placing kisses on my cheeks, "why is your hair drenched?"

"I don't know. Sweat or water? Maybe both," he mumbled, his voice muffled due to my hair. I giggled, before looking up at him and pushing him away, "about Darren as well. Sorry he was acting like a pig."

"It's fine, but I think it's Kelly you should be saying that to." I looked behind him to see Kelly with her hands in the air as Darren was trying to talk to her. For some reason, it's always my friends caught up in shit and not me. Am I really that boring? Nah, I should be damn grateful I'm not going through what they're going through, "maybe we should head up there. You know, for moral support."

When the shouting got louder, my feet started to carry me faster to where Kelly was, up the stairs as I hurried up when she shouted at him again. You know that phrase 'always the bridesmaid, never the bride'? Yeah, I'm getting weird vibes from that.

"You are such a jerk, aren't you? Can't you just leave me alone like you did that morning?!" Kelly exclaimed as Darren just rolled his eyes before scoffing, his eyes drifting to mine before going back to Kelly.

"Oh, come on, gorgeous. You weren't screaming cuss words in my face when you had your legs wrapped around m—" this is where I mentally gasped in my head and—wait, I feel like I just did that in real life. Never mind, the point is Kelly was a secretive girl. She never told us about her flings or anything because they were private to her. Well, not anymore seeing as basically the whole school could probably hear them right now.

"Finish that sentence, I dare you!" she shouted once again as Darren's smirk just broadened when he put his hands up in surrender.

"Try me then! Who was the one avoiding me after our night together?" he asked suddenly in which Kelly's jaw dropped slightly. Her arms dropped to her side as she stared at him in surprise, which soon turned into a glare and her hands formed into fists at her side. She wasn't like a small campfire anymore. It was more like wildfire that was out of control.

"You really think I was avoiding you? Who was the one w-who had his lips upon another girl the next day? W-Who was the one who told that girl that she was 'the most beautiful girl he's ever met'? That was you, you jackass! You wonder why I never spoke to you after that night and that was because I couldn't bear to see you with another girl when the night before, you were telling me you loved me!" Kelly's voice cracked as I went up to her, my arms wounding round her as she shouted at him.

"Sometimes, some things are too good to be true. You know what, drop dead!" she cried before releasing a sob and walking off into the school. I glared back at Darren before following after her. Right now, I was confused, but I had to be there for my best friend. God, he was so dead now. I was never really friends with him, but there was a thing called toleration and I definitely didn't tolerate him messing with my friends. 

"They tried to put me on the cover of Vogue

But my legs were too long!"

Oh yes, we were doing TikToks after school at Owen's house. The boys were sat there on their phones, clearly amused as Jaxon bit his lip to stop him from laughing. Owen was sat at his desk doing some homework, but he had turned himself slightly to face us, a small smile on his face.

Nicole had suddenly turned her phone off, chucking it onto the armchair across the room before standing up straight and putting her hand on her hip, looking at us suddenly. She threw her hair back over her shoulder and frowned.

"Okay, so what's the deal with Darren and Kelly? I heard they fell out," she said and I fixed my ponytail before turning to glare at her.

"Oh, come on. This isn't something we should be talking about. Anyway it's something to do with a fling? I don't know," I told her as Owen pulled me towards him possessively, breathing in my scent before I spoke up again, "it was pretty bad though."

"Darren's fucked up and even if I've known the bloke forever, this doesn't excuse the fact he's hurt her," Jaxon spoke up as he scrolled through his phone. His attention never averted to us, but the statement told us he was listening. Due to Darren's antics, he barely cared about what he did, but he was never fond of the idea.

Michael was sat in the armchair, seemingly out of it as he looked through his phone before groaning and chucking it aside. He smoothed down his uniform before checking his watch. If you saw him now, you'd get rich boy vibes coming right off of him.

"He told me about it," he started as he ran a hand through his gelled hair, "the guy was boasting about it. Apparently, Kelly's one of the most untouchable girls in the school and now that he's had sex with her, he thinks he could gloat to the other boys. It's rank to be honest."

"Oh my, which lesson was this?" Nicole asked suddenly as she scowled, "I heard some of the girls talking about it, but they didn't really want to tell me anything. Feared for their lives I guess. I mean, have you met Kelly? She's vicious when she needs to be."

Owen nodded before Jaxon soon agrees. The true extent of Kelly's problem had now reached the very edges of the school. Everyone would've known about it by now and I can't really imagine how humiliated she must feel. At the same time, Darren's just dug himself an early grave. Kelly was crafty with a mind so calculated and she had the ability to ruin your reputation if it meant you got what you deserved. To those who have messed with her, they've never stepped a foot in school again. It was her past that's made her so cold.

Kelly's full name is Karissa Kelly James, but we refer to her as Kelly instead of Karissa. Her mother was called Caroline yet we called both of them Kari or Cari, but at the age of ten, her mother had walked out on her. It was now just her father who looked after her, but she never understood by her mom had left her so suddenly. She was never mistreated or had any problems, but she just left. Kelly's pain on the loss of her mother caused her to feel so alone and every time she was brought up in conversation, she wouldn't hear it, storming off with gritted teeth.

That little girl, who once looked up to her mother with so much love felt so betrayed that she couldn't handle remembering her mother. She became cold and heartless, but also savage when it came to men. Her lips dressed in that ruby red lip gloss as her piercing eyes scanned through the crowds. She never felt loved when her mom left, but when she grew up, she was adored by everyone and she yearned for that love to last.

"Knowing her, she's out for him. After all, she can't tarnish the name she's built for herself," I told everyone, who simply nodded as we settled into silence, "although, I'm surprised. I've never seen her this angry at anyone before. Her mother's got some competition."

"Yeah, well, he deserves it. Imagine talking about a girl like that. The more severely punished he is, the better. I'll be there to watch every second of it." Nicole laughed at the very thought. As great as it sounds to watch Darren make an utter fool of himself, we would have to control Kelly sooner or later otherwise who knows what might happen, "Brielle."

I was looking down at Owen, my hand in his hair as he looked up contently. When I heard my name, I looked up at Nicole and she stood there, hand on her hip as she smirked at us. Oh, dear god. I can only imagine what she's thinking of.

"Brielle, have I ever told you that you should be a model? You have great legs," she told me and I blushed at the comment, glancing down for a quick second before my eyes drifted back up again. Biting my lip, I shrug before feeling Owen's arm tighten around my waist. When I looked at him, his eyes had gone to my legs, looking down at the whole length of them.

Despite being quite small compared to the other girls, my legs were quite slender. Maybe it's all the sports I do. His eyes were practically burning on me because my legs were heating up under his gaze. I felt my cheeks redden even more as something in the pit of my stomach made me squirm in my place.

"Well, thank you, I think," I said as she just shakes her head smiling. Any compliment that anyone gives me and I act like someone's just confessed their love to me. It's even worst when Owen's staring at me with hungry eyes. Nicole soon notices Owen's gaze upon and her smirk broadens. Her hand removes itself from her waist and steps forward once.

"It looks like Owen can't get enough," she muttered, nodding her head at him. To be honest, I can agree. Owen's gaze was practically burning into me, "look at him."

I stared down at him and smiled, ruffling his hair. His eyes fluttered shut as he pulled me closer to lean his head against me. I could see his smile out of the corner of my eye as he stayed quiet to simply enjoy the conversations we had. Now that he was content, he didn't really have much to say to us to talk about.

The way he looks at me now...

...is exactly how he looked at me three years ago.

END OF CHAPTER 33

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Merry Christmas everyone! God bless you all and I hope you have a great new year!:)

- jam x