Hometown Girls: Beginnings (Hometown Girls Series Book 1)

Hometown Girls:

Beginnings

To me: for the person I used to be, the person I am and the person I’m going to be.

“Senior year, girls!” Becca said holding up her plastic cup full of cold, frothy beer.

“Senior year!” Marissa Lou, Katie and Jess said in unison holding up their plastic cups as well to meet Becca’s before all four girls tipped their cups back and swallowed the liquid inside.

“This is going to be the best year ever,” Becca said smiling mischievously. “We are going to rule the school.”

“As if we don’t already,” Marissa Lou said, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her.

“True, true, but this year is different. This is our last year of high school. No more waking up early, no more homework, and no more school!”

“You do know that there is a thing called college right? And guess what, it starts up right after high school ends,” Katie asked. “Not only that, but there is also something called a job. A place where, most of the time, you have to wake up early and slave all day. I hear it’s a lot like school, but at least you get paid for it. Oh, but then, most people have to start paying their own bills, so they’re basically working just to live.” Katie and Marissa Lou smirked at the look on Becca’s face.

“The horror,” Marissa Lou said with a shiver.

“Whatever! You know what I mean.”

“I do,” Jess said sympathetically.

“Thank you, Jess, at least one of you have a brain.”

The girls had a good laugh for a few minutes before the night grew quiet, which wasn’t usual when the boisterous girls were all together. Each stared into the bonfire, ignoring the rest of the party goers around them, thinking about the school year to come. They all knew Becca was right. This would be their last year of high school together. Most kids hated school, but they thrived on it and the social interaction it gave them, although they were no different when it came to the actual work that came with school. Next year everything would change. Some in the group may even go in a different direction to college and what-not, like Katie who always talked about leaving the small confines of their hometown for a bigger life. Everyone was rooting for her, but they all knew how hard it would be when that day actually came. Katie and Jess had been best friends since birth, long before Marissa Lou came into the picture when they started middle school, and later Becca made her grand entrance when they started high school. The foursome had been inseparable since. The thought of not having their everyday interaction was daunting.

“To senior year,” Marissa Lou said with sadness in her voice, while the other girls continued to stare into the fire.

“I’m so tired,” Marissa Lou said yawning and leaning her head back against her locker.

“Me too,” Jess said in return, catching Marissa Lou’s contagious yawn.

“Tell me again why there was a bon fire party on a Sunday night, the day before our first day back at school?”

“We had to celebrate the end of the summer and a start of a new year. Our friends and classmates needed it,” Becca said as if it were obvious. “Besides, it’s tradition.”

Marissa Lou rolled her eyes at her and stared up at the ceiling. She actually was anxious to start school, which didn’t surprise anyone. School was her domain and being a senior made it even more so. She was tall, thin, blonde, and beautiful. She was like the queen bee of Pamlico High and the rest of the people there were her subjects. It was just the way it was.

A hush fell on the hallway. Marissa Lou was too caught up with images of her reign that she hadn’t even noticed it at first, but when she did she rolled her head to the side to look at her friends, but they were quietly staring in a different direction.

She lifted her head off the locker and asked, “What are y’all staring at?”

When they didn’t answer she looked in the direction that had them so captivated and saw a familiar face. One of her best friends, or at least it looked like her. Katie was walking through the hallway. Her book bag was slung over her bare shoulder, walking without a care in the world as if she didn’t notice that every kid in the hallway had stopped whatever they were doing to stare at her in awe as she sauntered by. Marissa Lou felt a tinge of jealousy at the scene. Marissa Lou was the popular one. The one everyone stopped to stare at, not Katie. Katie was the fun loving tomboy. She had to admit though, that Katie looked gorgeous and that made her happy for her friend. Katie’s body seemed to have bloomed overnight. Literally, because Marissa Lou had just seen her the night before at the party and she didn’t seem to notice a difference in her, but then again she never saw her in make-up before that day either. Katie’s short denim skirt and lacey tank top showed off her curvy frame and her sandal wedges made her tanned legs appear lean and tone. Her dark, chocolate hair even had a different shiny luster. She usually wore it up in a sporty ponytail, but today it was down and curly to the small of her back.

“Girl, who are you and where is my friend?” Becca said to Katie as she approached the group of girls.

Katie laughed and blushed. “Is it too much?”

“Not at all,” Jess said. “I think you look great.”

“Yeah, you and everyone else in the hallway,” Becca said to Jess.

Katie turned around and looked back the way she came, seeming to notice for the first time a few lingering stares. She turned back toward her friends and shrugged her shoulders. “They act like they’ve never seen a girl before.”

“I think it’s more that they’ve never seen you before. Not like this anyway,”Marissa Lou said.

“I’m still me,” Katie said simply. “Hair and make-up doesn’t change that.”

The words stung at Marissa Lou because she was right. Though Marissa Lou was naturally pretty, hair, make-up and clothes were her thing and didn’t go out in public without being perfectly put together. Marissa Lou knew she should be happy for Katie. That’s what friends did. And they were. They had been friends since middle school and despite the girl’s constant suggestions, Katie never felt the need for superficial things. Katie was always the tomboy in the group though, and they accepted that about her, so looking at her now, the transformation seemed foreign. If they each had their own roles to play in the group; Marissa Lou was the beautiful popular one; Katie the tomboy; Becca the redheaded wild child; Jess the sweet and sensitive one. No one was ever really the alpha in the group, they each had something special to bring to the fold, but if the scene today set precedence for what’s to come this year, dynamics were sure to change. Changes that weren’t a part of Marissa Lou’s ultimate plan for the year.

Marissa Lou pushed those thoughts out of her head. Katie was her best friend, no matter what, and it was a friend's job to be supportive. If things changed, she’d just have to try to bite her tongue, starting with today. "I think you look beautiful."

"Thank you, Marissa Lou," Katie said and a sense of comfort swept across her face.

"Hey beautiful," Daniel, Marissa Lou's boyfriend, said wrapping his arms around Marissa Lou's waist and kissing her neck.

The other girls turned their heads or looked down. They’ve seen the couple make out many times in the past year since they started dating, but they always felt awkward witnessing it. It’s not because they didn’t like Daniel, because really, what’s not to like? He was what anyone would call a “good” guy and no one would ever be able to deny Daniel’s beauty. He was the exact replica of Marissa Lou, but obviously male, which made them appear perfect together. He was tall, muscular, had dark blonde hair, the most perfect blue eyes, charismatic and anyone could see he was crazy about Marissa Lou.

"Hey you," she said turning her head to kiss lips. “I missed you last night.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I hated that I had to work and miss the party. I’m sure you had fun despite my absence.”

She scrunched her nose and playfully shook her head side to side.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said and looked around at the group of girls and stopped on Katie and studied her for a moment. “Katie?" he asked, stunned to see her like that.

She lifted her chin high up and did a model pose.

"You look great. The summer did you good."

"Why thank you, Daniel."

Just then the bell rang sending all four girls in different direction with Daniel at Marissa Lou's side as they walked to their classes.

By the end of the day, after not having one single class together, Marissa Lou and Katie met in the school gym for cheerleading practice. Marissa Lou had been on the squad since freshman year and once she became captain at the end of last year she talked Katie into joining as well so they could hang out more. Now that they knew they didn’t have any classes together, they were both happy that she reluctantly did.

“I can’t believe we won’t have any classes together this year,” Katie said with a pout.

“I know right. I kept expecting to see you in at least one of them. I had high hopes, but it looks like this year is going to blow after all.”

They both turned when the group of varsity football players walked by with their loud clanking cleats on the wooden floor on their way to their own grueling practice.

Marissa Lou waved when she saw Daniel and blew him a flirty kiss. Katie just smiled and rolled her eyes at them.

“Him on the other hand, I have in almost every class.”

“Who?”Marissa Lou asked pulling her attention back to Katie.

“Lover boy over there.”

“Oh, yeah? We only have like one class together. It’s the same with Becca and Jess. What the heck! This year is so going to suck without my people.”

“Well you have me now. Speaking of, Maris, I can’t believe you are making us start practice on the first day of school.”

“Hey, my squad, my rules. Besides, I want us to be tip top by the time the football season begins in a couple weeks.”

“I thought that’s why we had cheer camp over the summer,” Katie said tilting her head.

“There’s no sleeping on the job, Katie.”

“Ma’am, yes ma ’am,” she said with a salute, mocking a soldier.

“Fall in line, maggot,” Marissa Lou said back in the deepest, in charge voice she could muster.

Katie smacked Marissa Lou on the rear and hurried to her spot in the line-up of girls.

“Smarty pants,” Marissa Lou said to her descending back. “Okay ladies,” she said commanding the attention of the other cheerleaders, “now that you’re all here, let’s go over what we learned over the summer. Maybe, just maybe, we can get through this day quickly because I don’t know about any of you, but I’m wiped out and would rather be anywhere else but here.”

Marissa Lou stood in front of the girls, a spot in the chain of command she lived for. With her back facing them, her pompom hands at her waist, waiting for the music to begin. In the midst of waiting, it dawned on her that no matter what happened this year, good or bad, the spot she stood in at that very moment, figuratively and overall, would make it all worth it and get her through.