Eden High: Series 1 (Eden High 1-6)

She doesn’t know these girls like I do. Jace might’ve given them fair warning, but people like the Mandy Taylors of this world always find a way. I’ll have to have a talk with Sian; maybe at the sleepover she’d invited me to this weekend.

And wasn’t that a hoot? I’ve never been to one of those in my life, well sometimes Tammy and I would spend time at each other’s house, but we’ve never done the all night thing.

I knew these damn Claiborne’s were going to be trouble. Here two days and already they’re shaking up shit. At least Tammy and I weren’t at the wrong end of it this time, though I’m sure those twits will try to make our lives hell.

Shane was even talking to Tammy and across the way Liz was shooting daggers at her. I flexed my feet in my sneakers, testing the dexterity of them since they were new. I needed to be sure they could stomp her ass if she got stupid.

SIAN

“I want you to come meet my parents, do you think your parents would let you come to the house this evening? We can do our homework together.”

I stopped with my hand halfway to my mouth. “Your parents?” I didn’t see that coming.

“Yeah, it’s only fair, I met yours right?” damn that smirk, he could probably get me to agree to anything when he looked at me like that.

“I guess, um this evening? I’ll have to ask mom. I’m sure it will be okay, but…”

I’m dating someone and he wants me to meet his parents, in fact we haven’t even been on our first date yet. I don’t recall this part of the high school dating game. Jessica’s dates usually picked her up at the door and left.

I wanted to ask him if he’d taken all his former girlfriends home to meet his folks, namely Mandy, but the thought was so depressing I benched the idea.

“Cool, I’ll pick you up after they give you the go ahead, say six? You can have dinner with me.”

“Oh, ok.” That was my spiffy comeback, what else could I say? The boy kept throwing me for a loop. First he defended me to his ex monster and now he was taking me home to meet mom, wow. This was so entirely different from anything I expected when I came here.

I noticed that he was a hoverer and very attentive, which I loved. I ate up all his attention like sucking up sunrays.

And each time I got a niggling doubt as to the longevity of whatever we had going on here, I pushed it aside and told myself to just enjoy.

He asked me a million questions about my life back home and what I wanted to do with my future.

“I’m not really sure, I always thought I wanted to be a doctor, but then I dissected my first frog and fainted, so that was out. Now I think I want to do something with kids, maybe teaching, I don’t know. Why, what do you want to do?”

“Me, football first definitely, but I know some day I’ll have to take the reins from dad so I’m going to have to study entertainment business in school among other things.

So you don’t fancy yourself being a movie star?” he seemed very invested in my answer to that one and I wasn’t sure why that was.

“Nah, that’s not my thing.” We ate in silence for a while and he seemed deep in thought as life went on around us.

His friends were talking football as usual. Belle was talking to Jared without hurling insults at his head, go figure.

And Tammy was showing Shane something on a piece of paper, while Cassandra seemed lost in thought. I have to figure out what’s going on with that girl.

“Cassandra, why don’t you come over a little early on Saturday so we can get some practice in before the big night?”

“Saturday, what’s happening on Saturday?” Jace played with the ends of my hair.

“I’m having a sleepover.”

“Hmm.” What was that supposed to mean?

***

After lunch he walked me to my next class and told me he’d see me at last bell. Of course now that he was gone there was lots of speculation from the other kids, though no one came to me personally.

“What’s going on with your brother?” Belle dropped down beside me in a funk.

“Like?”

“Why is he being so nice to me?”

“Uh, maybe because he is nice?”

“Yeah well guys like him don’t usually talk to girls like me so what gives?”

“Belle, we’re gonna have to have a talk about your low self image. Save it for Saturday night. I’m going to need all the time I can get to fix your brand of nutty.” She almost pushed me off my chair but I didn’t retaliate because the teacher came in just then.

I could feel Mandy boring holes into the back of my head, but didn’t turn around. I have to remember to ask Jace what exactly had gone on between those two.

Mom said it was okay to go to Jace’ place to meet his folks but she insisted that she had to get his mother’s number so they could talk and make sure it was okay.

I only felt about five years old when she said that. Jace had given me his cell and house numbers so I gave it to her before running upstairs to look for something to wear.

I was as giddy as a two year old as I rifled through my closet. Suddenly things that were just what I needed and couldn’t live without when I went shopping, were no longer good enough.

I had to stop myself in the middle of all that when I realized I was comparing myself to Mandy. We were two completely different people, and besides, if Jace had wanted to be with her he wouldn’t have come after me.

In the end I went with something simple, a blouse and a pair of capris. Nothing too flashy or revealing, or dad would never let me out the house.