Chapter 2 - Stacey
STACEY
Shoop by Salt-N-Peppa
My eyes remain fixed on the new girl, and something twists inside.
The tendrils of jealousy course through my veins.
I can feel the vibrations hum through my body.
My lip twitches, turning to frown and then to smile as I straighten out my composure.
Smoothing out my pink plaid mini skirt, and white baby doll cotton top, I take a deep breath in, the plastic of the mask filling my senses.
Everything is picture fucking perfect.
She turns and walks away, glancing over her shoulder at me with unease as my sweet big brother and his latest flavor of the week lead the new girl away. The new girl looks at me over her shoulder one last time. I cock my head to the side, letting her unease simmer. She looks wary of me.
Good. She should be uncomfortable. No one walks into this school without learning who rules these halls.
Fucking hint—it’s me.
Once the newbie bitch is gone, I slide the plastic from my face. The fresh air is a welcome reprieve from the heat of the mask. I fluff my dark hair, making sure it’s big and bouncy.
It’s my first day back from winter break and, as usual, it ended too quickly.
I barely got any sleep and the list of people on my shit list only grew longer.
With prom quickly approaching, I need to start getting ready to make sure the crown sits on my head by the end of the night.
The halls of Sunnyvale are slowly emptying, only littered by paper and other random things.
Strutting down the halls, the heel of my ankle boots click, echoing harshly.
“Miss Larsen,” a voice calls from behind me, and I spin to see our principal, Mr. Matthews, standing in the empty hallway. He’s dressed in his usual—khakis, a button down, and a bright bow tie. Who the fuck wears bow-ties? What a fucking loser.
“Yes, Mr. Matthews?” I ask sweetly, swaying my hips as I approach. I don’t miss the way he swallows down his nerves as I move closer, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“You know the rules, Miss Larsen, no gum in school,” he reprimands, but it lacks bite. He’s got no real authority and we both know it.
“So.” I move even closer, letting my fingers dance across the buttons of his shirt.
“Maybe you need to teach me a lesson, Mr. Matthews, back in your office? Bend me over and give me a spanking?” I watch in delight as his pale little face turns red beneath the frame of his glasses.
“Or maybe you’d rather just take it from me,” I suggest before sticking out my tongue and letting my mouth hang wide open.
I’m not dumb. I know the effect I have on men. My mother taught me well—men are single minded. They love power and sex. Give them sex and the illusion of power and you own them. A woman’s true strength lies in her ability to manipulate those around her.
Much to mother’s dismay though, I’m still a virgin. I may let men think they can have me, but I’m saving myself. There’s only one man for me—my soulmate.
“That won’t be necessary, Miss Larsen,” my dweeb of a principal stutters out as he attempts to control himself. “Just throw it away in the nearest receptacle.” He takes a step back, putting distance between us.
“Anything you say,” I say before blowing a big bubble with my gum. “Sir.”
I laugh as I turn, continuing to chew the spearmint gum as I head towards the cafeteria to work on the prom campaign.
Perk of being a part of the prom committee is that no one’s messing with me, especially not some weak little man who thinks he’s powerful because he can boss teenagers around.
My hand presses against the cool surface, pushing the door open and stepping inside.
“Stacey, here,” Courtney calls to me as she pushes a dark curl behind her ear. I walk towards my friend, noticing that she is starting to copy my looks once again. Dressed in blue plaid skirt, black knee high boots, and black turtleneck.
But she’ll never be half as hot as me. A cheap knock-off.
“You look cute,” I coo, circling her before taking a seat beside her at the long white cafeteria table. The cold of the polished surface biting into my skin. “Miss me?” I ask, my finger trailing over to the golden marker resting beside her.
“Of course I did. Life is just too dull without my favorite twin,” Court replies with a pearly smile, letting me catch sight of the gemstone sitting on her canine. Well, that’s cute.
“Anything new?”
I shake my head, reaching over the table and grabbing a white poster board. “Nothing besides brainstorming, I need the school to buzz with my name.”
I can practically hear the eyeroll in Courtney's tone when she replies, “You know you will get the crown, everyone talks about you, Stacey. Everyone. You’re the Queen Bee.”
Looking at the choices of color, I turn to face her— my green eyes clashing with her green. “So, be honest.” She swallows hard, looking at me as if I asked her for a part of her soul. “What color do you think screams prom queen?”
Courtney shrugs, pointing at a marker. “Gold.”
Perfect.
We chatter a bit, about her sex life mainly, and how she keeps hooking up with Brad and how she wishes he would ask her out already.
As much as I try to continue to work on my campaign, thoughts of the new girl fill my brain, ringing alarms throughout my body.
I didn’t like her. I didn’t like how she looked at him.
He’s mine. My hand tightens around the marker, and I don’t notice what I’m doing.
Not until the bell rings, signaling it’s time for lunch. Looking down at the poster, I frown. Golden strikes cut through my name. Finally, Courtney stops talking and busies herself with getting the table cleared up.
Shortly after, the cafeteria is filled with students and chatter.
Everything is so loud, making my head pound.
There is a lot that comes with popularity, and always being the center of attention is overwhelming.
The eyes are always watching, always observing, always looking for cracks in the armor of beauty.
But by Friday, the entire school will know two things about me: One, I’m running for prom queen. And two , I won’t stop until I win.
The crown is everything. And I deserve everything.
Now all I need is a weekend to generate more hype. Keep my name in everyone’s mouth, nothing like a good old party. This weekend at my family’s lake house, we will host a ‘Winter Bash Smash.’ I still hate the name, it makes my eyes roll… But Sam, my twin, picked it out.
My friends laugh, Courtney, Whitney, and Lacey are all planning out their outfits for this weekend.
“What are you wearing?” I hear Whitney ask Lacey. “Black mini dress.”
Courtney replies this time, “You can’t wear black. It’s too expected.”
I look over at them for a brief moment, ripping my eyes from across the cafeteria.
“Try blush or rose gold.” Of course, she will pick out the color I suggested, especially after the approval of everyone else.
My gaze returns back to the new girl—Jessica, who’s sitting with the outcast and stoners.
The one with blue hair, I forget her fucking name, is trying to talk to her, but the new girl looks bored.
Picking at her fries like she’d rather be anywhere else.
Then, my eye catches something that causes it to twitch. Sam is watching her, not our table, not his supposed girlfriend, Lacey. But her. I take a sip of the diet soda Courtney got for me, hoping my idiot brother can feel my glare shooting daggers at him.
Not even our twin connection causes him to notice. Fury bubbles within me, and the worst part is containing it. I know that look. He only gets it when he’s about to make a terrible decision. I do not have the time for this right now, I have a crown to win.
“She’s pretty,” Whitney says softly, following my gaze.
I turn to her. “She’s… fine. I guess.”
“Different,” Lacey responds as she stabs her pasta salad with her plastic fork.
“That’s what she is—different.” Her eyes dart between me and my brother.
Something glints in her eyes, and I don’t know if it’s jealousy or curiosity.
“I heard she transferred from a school in Detroit or something. Trouble follows people like that.”
“More trouble is exactly what this place needs.” Whitney giggles. “It’s been quite boring lately.”
I force a smile, but my jaw tightens. Just as Sam finally approaches us, and the tray in his hand drops down in front of me. Ignoring his girlfriend who sits only two spots down from me. “You’re inviting her, right?”
“Who?” Lacey and I ask in unison.
“Jessica.”
Lacey scoffs, while all I can do is stare at him. “To our party?”
He shrugs, trying to play it cool, as if it’s not a big deal. “She doesn’t know anyone yet. It’d be nice. Don’t you remember being new and alone, Stace?”
The way he looks at me has my insides twisting. He’s my mirror image—same eyes, same face. My other half. It’s hard to not bend to his will when he gives me that look.
“I’m not known for being nice.” I wet my lips, taking the straw between my lips, before rising to my feet.
An idea flits across my mind. Something absolutely wonderful in its simplicity.
“But I suppose it can’t hurt.” I can feel everyone’s eyes on me as I strut towards the new girl.
Her eyes shoot up to meet mine, and before I even speak, Sam is beside me.
We approach the table, leaving the stoners speechless at seeing the coolest siblings in school gracing their table of burnout losers and freaks.
“So,” I say after a beat of silence. “We’re throwing a party this weekend at our lake house. Just a few friends. You should come.” I smile at the new girl.
If I’m being honest, beneath the whole grunge thing, she’s attractive enough. The thought pisses me off.
Jessica blinks, obviously caught off guard. “Oh—I don’t know.” She smiles nervously, her eyes darting between us. “I don’t know anyone yet.”
I smile. ”That’s the whole point,” I reply with my lips widening. “Everyone who matters will be there. Great time to get to know us.”
Sam's hand moves to the small of my back, his thumb stroking in a circle, trying to calm my nerves. My eyes remain glued on her as I wait for an answer. She’s hesitating, but then she nods. “Okay. Sure.”
Perfect.
“Cool,” I say, bending over her and ripping a piece of paper from a random composition notebook. Using the pen on the table, I write down our address, and obviously, it’s the wrong one. “See you there.”
The bell rings just as we walk back towards our table. “That was nice of you, Sis,” Sam practically purrs in my ear.
Nice. That word keeps making me irrationally angry today.
Something ugly continues to curl inside my chest. By the time I gather my things, I already know one thing for sure.
Jessica might think she’s just another new girl, but soon, she will learn the rules of this school.
I smirk at the thought. Soon she’ll learn that around here, I make the rules.