Just A Dream - Chapter 1!!!!

It all started when my cousin Emily came to town. Emily, who was three months older than I, was my best friend growing up, until she moved away when we were both 15. She was a very nice girl, and made sure to keep in touch with me by calling every week and showing up for the occasional visit. Problem with Emily? She loved to party. And party was her game, that was for certain. Sometimes I thought that was all she ever thought about doing. Don't get me wrong, I love a good party as much as anyone, but with Emily, things always tended to go a little overboard.

I made the small mistake of agreeing to throw our Sweet 16 together as one big group. We had invited all of our friends, and had set up decorations around the pool in my backyard. My parents and aunt had their own little get-together in the den with some of our other relatives and neighbors, and things outside seemed to be going great until one of Emily's friends decided to skinny dip in our pool. Emily thought nothing of it at first, saying that it was a party and anything went, until her mom came out and threw a big fit. I got in a little bit of trouble with my parents, but being as they were always away on business, being grounded didn't make much sense, and I didn't stick to the rules either.

Make no mistake, I'm not one for disobeying my parents, but being as I wasn't the one who allowed the skinny dipping, I didn't feel it was my responsibility to take the fall. But I was always a little adamant about going to one of Emily's parties.

And wouldn't you know that with my luck, Emily decided to visit me a week before my 18th birthday.

We were sitting in the kitchen, her fingers wrapped around a cup of hot coco while I doodled on my notebook with a sharpie.

"Ok, Rayla, enough with the indifference." She begged me. "Having an 18th birthday party would be awesome. You didn't come to mine, so I think you should have one of your own, for sure. Why don't you want to celebrate it?"

I shrugged my shoulders and picked at the sleeve of my black mesh under-shirt. I noticed my pearl purple nail polish chipping at the edges of my fingernail and lifted it closer to my face to examine it. "I just don't think it's such a big deal," I said, turning my finger this way and that.

Emily scoffed. I looked up to see a staggered look on her face, the disbelief pouring from her Irish green eyes. "Are you high?" she asked me. I resisted the urge to smirk at her. "You're turning 18! That's like a right-of-passage! Having a party would not only be awesome, but it's totally a must. I myself celebrated mine a week before I actually turned. I was so excited. I even had a second party the weekend after."

"I know, you told me," I replied lazily. I looked back at her. She shook her head at me, reaching up to play with a tendril of her short auburn hair.

"Well that's just one more reason why you should have one."

I let out a short laugh and stared down into my cocoa. I had to admit, having a party would be awesome, and if I had my way, it would be seriously epic. But who would I invite? I had a few friends, but I certainly wasn't very popular at Hillsdale Prep. Sometimes I wondered if any of those snobby rich kids knew if I existed.

I looked back up at Emily. She was giving me a look that was a mixture of inflexible authority and beseeching hope.

"Oh fine" I said tired of all her begging.

She smiled at me in triumph and excitement. "Yes!" she screeched. "You don't have to do much, really. I'll take care of everything! All you have to do is invite some of your friends from school, and for god's sake, go buy something decent to wear." She looked down at my clothes in disgust.

Emily was more conservative than I, with her styled pixy cut and classy button down shirts beneath fashionable sweater vests. I on the other hand preferred low-cut jeans and denim skirts. Mesh and fish net was my thing, and I always found one accessory or article of clothing that fit my preferences. Today was no exception. Beneath my dark purple tank top I garbed a long-sleeved mesh shirt, with silver eye holes around the cuffs. Beneath my dark blue denim skirt I wore black leggings with light purple fish net hose over the top of them, ending finally in a pair of black combat boots. I was eccentric, and never passed up an opportunity to show it. Of course, it was probably one of the main reasons I didn't fit in with my peers.

"So I'm going to get started on the planning, and then I think I'll invite all the hunky guys from your school, she said, taking a long sip from her mug.

Oh god no! I thought. There was no way in hell I was going to let her do that. With her planning the party, I was sure it would probably end in disaster, and the only thing I needed was for all the guys from school to have one more reason to laugh at me. I had to think of something, and fast.

"Emily, you can't."

She looked at me. "And why not?"

I racked my brain quick, thinking the truth was best, but knowing I needed to fudge some of the details. "Because...well, you know I hate the people at my school. They're nothing but rich snobs, and they never let me forget I'm only there on a scholarship. I can't risk them ruining my party with their haughty attitudes."

"Oh, Rayla," she sighed. "Relax and give yourself a break. You don't even know all of them. Who's to say that they won't just come and enjoy the party just because?"

I gave her a knowing look.

"Give it a chance."

"You just don't know them like I do. They're all rich. That makes them all jerks."

Emily scoffed. "Whatever. I'm going to invite them anyway, and if by the minuscule chance they do get out of line, I'll whip their butts for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever."

"Great! Alright, well then I'm going to go get started," she said, picking up her laptop bag and standing. "So I will see you in the morning ok?"

"Yeah, ok Em. Night." And with that, she bounced away towards the stairs.
* * *
The next morning I woke to find that Emily was already gone. I was six AM and I knew I had a lot to do today. Beginning my morning ritual, I went downstairs to scramble up some eggs with toast bits. After eating, I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and straightened my insanely curly, jet black hair. Once finished, it hung in thick tresses down to my waist. I went to my closet and picked out a dark blue, long-sleeved V-neck shirt and short jean mini. I topped it off with my knee-high Converse and fish net gloves with clipped fingers, and garnished them with a purple spiral ring that I had purchased at the mall some time ago. After checking myself in the mirror, I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door for school.

Hillsdale Prep wasn't a very big school, in the fact that they were very selective about the students they accepted into their program. It was a small brick building, with two floors separated into two sections each, one for each grade. There were only about four hundred students in all. I know that seems big, but for this city, that was only about eight percent of the high school population. As I parked in my assigned parking spot, I noticed my best friend Abby skipping towards me from her spot one row ahead of me. I waived to her and she began running to me.

Earlier that morning, I had sent her a text telling her about the party. She reached me shortly, wearing much the same thing I was, but her V-neck was a dark purple, and instead of a mini skirt, she had chosen a pair of black short shorts to wear with her knee-high converse. She had the same taste as I did, and we often shopped together and bought many of the same things. Abby was a bit more eccentric than I was, however, and today was no exception. I smiled down at her usual diverse items, which today happened to be a lime green tutu she wore over her shorts. The girl was crazy, but I loved her like the sister I never had. The moment she reached me, she immediately went into a tailspin of sentences.

"Ohmygod! Ohmygod! Ohmygod!" she squealed at me as she came to a screeching halt. Her eyes were wide and filled with exhilaration, and she was breathing heavily from running and excitement.

I laughed and slung my bag over my shoulder. "Chill, Abby," I said and put my arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the school.

"I can't chill," she said in mock fever. "You're having a party; this is fantastic! And you're letting Emily plan it for you, which means it's going to rock!"

I rolled my eyes. She had attended a couple of Emily's parties, including our Sweet 16. But like Emily, she never saw any reason why that party was such a disaster. "So, yeah, whatever. It's not a big deal, just a few friends and Emily."

Abby scoffed. "Whatever my butt. I know how her parties are. So what are you planning on doing there?"

"Whatever people do at parties. Sodas and food, music and dancing. You know, the usual."

We stepped onto the sidewalk, following in step behind a group of other students younger than us. I kept myself busy focusing on a boy's shoelace that was untied. I allowed myself to feel youthful, laughing with her and turning the conversation silly as we walked. Abby continued on about how awesome the party was going to be, while I shot back with a few witty retorts that had us giggling like the petty schoolgirls we were.

"I heard Eric Rothman was kicked off the basketball team for smoking pot," Abby said, inserting herself into the regular gossip that traveled the halls of the school like a swarm of ants.

"Well, we both knew that one day he was going to get caught," I said. "Besides, we don't need idiots ruining our chances at the championship anyway."

Abby looked at me incredulously as we ascended the stairs leading to the main entrance of the school. "Since when do you care about school sports?"

"I don't," I replied with a grin. "I just hate Eric Rothman. What a snob." We fell into hysterical laughter, which was quickly drowned out by the bustle of other students chatting and the slamming of locker doors.

"Oh wait," Abby said suddenly, speaking a bit louder to be heard over the noise. "When is your party anyway?"

I looked at her in amazement. My best friend forgetting when my birthday is. What a hoot. "Abby, my birthday is on Halloween. You know that."

Abby stepped out from under my arm and slugged me in the shoulder. "I know that dummy, but that doesn't mean you're going to have it on the same day as Halloween. You could have it another day, like Saturday night for example."

We stopped at her locker and I suppressed a giggle as I watched her turn the dial of her combination lock.

"Abby, Halloween is on Saturday."

She paused and looked off into space. I could see the wheels in her mind working away as her ditzy little brain realized what she had just said. "Oh yeah, huh?" she shrugged her shoulders and continued gathering her things. I laughed at her, feeling more and more light as I allowed my worry and stress about my party dissipate.

She closed her locker and we continued moving down the hallway towards mine so that I could deposit my bag. At one point, we were forced to walk single-file to get through the crowd, and I made it a point to walk behind her, purposely stepping on the heels of her shoes and laughing as she turned around and told me to knock it off.

"Anyway," Abby said as we exited the crowd and I caught up with her. "So who are you planning on inviting?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I've already invited you and Emily is the one hosting it, so I'm not sure who else to invite."

"Well it's not a party if it's just the three of us. And I know Emily almost as well as you, so who is she inviting for you?"

I looked at her with a blanched expression. But I couldn't deny the fact that she did know Emily pretty well, so I just smiled and hung my head in mock shame. "She said something about inviting all the hot guys from school."

Before Abby had a chance to squeal, I clamped my hand over her mouth, so it came out as more of a high-pitched moan. She ripped my hand away and began talking all at once.

"Ohmygod, Ohmygod, Ohmygod! Are you serious?! Do you think she'll invite Brad Langley? Oh and what about Chad Duncan? She should totally invite Jesse and Stan and Trey from the basketball team, oh yes! Give me her number, I want to call her and give her some names! Oh my gosh this is going to be such a blast! Wait, what are you going to wear? More importantly, what am I going to wear? Is there going to be drinking? Cuz you know I don't drink, cuz when I do I get all loopy and just end up making-"

"Abby shush!" I yelled, sending us both into a fit of laughter.

"Wow Abby," I finally managed. "You can be such a blonde sometimes. Yes, Emily is inviting the guys, so I think she's already got all of them covered."

"Wow, can you imagine?" she asked me, her eyes growing wide again. "We are actually going to be having real conversations with guys! Sentence conversation! What are we supposed to talk about with them? I don't know anything about what guys like!"

"I can tell you what they like," a high voice said from behind us. We turned around to see Kayla Martin behind us, Jamie Thompson and Rachel Franks making up her posse on either side of her. The way she spoke, it sounded as if she had recently gotten over a nasty case of bronchitis, or maybe smoked way too many cigarettes. She had a natural hoarseness about her voice, that seemed to crackle and break with every sentence she spoke.

Kayla and I had been enemies since as long as I could remember. Though, I can never remember how it all started between us, but I knew it had to be something. Kayla was the type to look down on everyone around her, but for me, she seemed to make the extra effort to make my life miserable.

She stood there, a gloating smile painted on her shiny red lips. She wore her flame red hair tall, almost in a late '80's style, minus the mess. Her expensive clothes hung like a second skin to her Barbie-like physic, making her seem like a newly unwrapped doll that a child's parents demanded she not touch. Because of her family's wealth, her standing in society, and her unmatched beauty, Kayla was the most popular person in school. Maybe even the whole planet, though I never could understand why, due to her raunchy attitude toward everyone.

"Men like to be flirted with, and promised things that should only be talked about to your diary," she said, strutting toward us with her hand on her hip. "But I think that neither of you would have any idea of what I'm talking about, nor will you any time soon."

Her plastic face froze in a very unappealing grimace, which I'm sure she intended to be a smug smile. I rolled my eyes, almost ready to turn and walk away when Abby fired back at her.

"That's right, Kayla." She tell her name as if it were a sour substance that had just landed on her tongue. "We wouldn't know those things, because unlike you, we don't degrade ourselves to unwanted sluts."

"Abby, she isn't worth it," I muttered, wrapping my hand around her arm to pull her away. But Kayla's nasty voice stopped me.

"Good luck with your party, Rayla," she said, trying to make her voice smooth like butter. "I'm sure it's going to be a blast. Hopefully you can control that disaster of a girl you call cousin."

Before Kayla had a chance to say anything more, or Abby could launch herself at her, I tugged sharply on her arm. "Come on, Abby, we need to get to class."

Halloween came faster than I wanted it to. Because Halloween ended up being the night of my party. I had been so busy shopping with Abby and putting together decorations with Emily that it seemed to breeze by in a blink of an eye.

The house looked amazing. There were handmade streamers decorating the ceiling and the banister of the stairs, stylish balloons decorating the corners, and the kitchen table stocked with all sorts of snacks and goodies set upon a purple table-cloth. Emily had made her famous punch, though sans alcohol due to my incessant nagging at not wanting anyone drunk in my house. Emily promised to leave the alcohol out of it and sent me up to my room to change.

As I sat in front of the mirror on my vanity table, I could hear the steadily increasing chatter from those who had arrived early. Beyond that, the living room stereo blasted away some selected songs on my iPod playlist, mostly dance songs to keep the party happy.

I stood and checked myself in the mirror once more before heading down the stairs. I was wearing a cute purple dress, with lime green fishnet lacing underneath, the hem stopping just below my upper thighs. I stuck on some purple fish net leggings, sure to rip them in a few spots to create fashionable holes in them. On my feet were knee-high black boots, the laces mismatched between purple and green threading all the way from the top to bottom on the sides. I wore huge silver hoop earrings and a silver chain necklace around my neck, my hair was piled high on my head in a curly bun, with a few tendrils pulled away to hang around my face and neck. My eye shadow was a smoky gray, my lips a dark red that I blotted on with my fingertip. I looked different from normal. But I looked hot.

Still, my nerves were jumping so badly I thought that I might actually begin twitching uncontrollably. I took several deep breaths, holding the last one as I took one final glance at myself in the mirror, then finally I released it and turned to walk out the door and descend the stairs.

Here goes nothing, I thought.