Exerpt of chapter 1

Chapter 1
Jackie Austin, was having a nightmare just before her tom and jerry alarm clock went on one of it’s beeping tangents forcing her to open her eyes and realize that she was in the ferocious grasp of her pink flower printed blanket. After a few moments of struggling in the confines of the fabric, she was able to get free and wriggle out of her cocoon and slip into a standing position on the pink carpeting of her room.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
“Oh, shut up!” she said, forcefully hitting the off button on her alarm clock, which then led to mumbling before she dragged her self to the hall closet to get a towel and head into the bathroom. At this point of this Monday morning, her pajama pants caught on a nail tearing the cloth and scratching her leg.
“Ow, mother, gur,” Jackie instinctively clasped her hand over the small wound, almost stumbling into a wall. After a few moments of trying to ease the pain with a strand of incoherent curses, she wobbled into the bathroom, taking a very hasty shower, seeing that she instinctively set her alarm clock thirty minuets ahead of her normal time so she could get a little more sleep, but this only resulted in being slightly late, and Jackie Austin was never late.
It took her a total of fifteen minuets, to clean, blow dry and straighten her light brown hair, beating her record time of twenty one point seven minuets. She had set a very particular outfit upon her dresser, faded blue Capri and a plain green shirt with a random arrangement of buttons, that served no purpose.
Tying her hair up in a half pony tale, she realized that her closet door was open. Now she knew she’d closed that before she went to bed, for Jackie had a perfectionist taste when it came to how her room must look at all times, and leaving the closet doors open, well it was unheard of. Straightening her blouse she walked defiantly to her closet, shoulders back, jaw line clenched. But a strange surge prickled her skin, and she could feel a trail of Goosebumps form upon her arms, she had a hand each of the white closet door knobs.
“Hello,” she felt silly talking to herself like this, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched by close eyes.
“Hurry up,“ her Dad’s voice yelled from downstairs, she was quickly broken out of this silly little mind game, “your gonna be late for school.“
“Coming.” She called back down, just as she was closing the closet, and slipping her shoes on that sat waiting at the front of her bed, where she had left them.
Her father was standing over the oven in her mothers red frilly apron, humming the “Price is Right!” theme song.
“Morning,” He chimed with an overly enthusiastic attitude.
“Good morning, dad,” Jackie responded, putting a dab of syrup atop her pancakes he placed in front of her, before cutting it to tiny bites that she would eat at a reasonable pace.
Mr. Austin slipped into the seat beside her pulling out the daily paper, turning to the sports section and began to read, his lips moving silently with every word. Jackie’s mother was already at the gourmet restaurant her parents owned, and wouldn’t be seen until later that night, so as she finished her breakfast, she kissed her dad on the cheek goodbye, and left grabbing her back pack that was sitting by the door, just where she had left it.
She could hear the rumbling of music coming up the street, before she saw the car. She had just reached Katie’s front door as the red convertible shot past beeping and yelling as it went. The passengers hanging out of the windows, hands raised up to the sky, hair flinging into there god like faces. It was the “in crowd“ making their way to school, the same as the rest of us, the not-so-cool kids, riding the 7:30 bus to Peterson High School.
Rolling her eyes profusely she brought her finger to the door bell and pushed it, she could her the load chiming vibrating through the house, before the door was quickly pulled open revealing Kate. Now Jackie has been Kate’s best friend since, well forever, it was funny how they are so different, Jackie being the class valedictorian and Kate being the fashion-ista.
To prove this point, Kate swung open the door, flipping her straight chestnut hair behind her shoulder as she strutted out of the house, in a pair of skinny jeans, and a lacy blue baby doll shirt.
“Hey,” she said gleefully she slung her matching blue tote bag over her shoulder.
Jackie replied with a polite, “Morning,” with a roll of her eyes.
“What’s that look for? It took me three hours to pick out this outfit,” Nervousness quickly flickered across Kate’s face, “Do you think it’s too plain? Should I change. I think I should go change.”
“Kate you look good in about anything. So stop worrying so much, my goodness.”
“You sure now?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Ok?”
Katie just sighed, nodding.
The bus stop was located at the Chimney Lakes subdivision sign, besides Kate and Jackie, there were three others standing there, Cindy Coffer the gossip, James Luke the nerd, and the new guy, he leaned against the sign his bag leaning against his leg.
“Oh, cutie by the sign,” Kate giggled, “Don’t you think Jack?”
“Mhmm…sure…“ Jackie didn’t even look as the boy as she watched the street for the yellow bus that will soon take them to school.
The boy ran a hand through his blond hair as he let out an exasperated yawn.
“We should go over there and talk to him.” Kate said playfully.
Jackie once again, ignored her friend as she checked her watch for the time, it was two minuets past the time the bus should be there. She tapped her foot on the ground impatiently adjusting her book bag that was hanging off of one shoulder.
“Come on Jackie, look at him…”
“Look at who?” Jakie finally turned her attention to her friend.
“Have you been listening at all?” Kate asked.
“Not really…” Jackie was a truthful person, and even if she said she were her friend would have caught the lie before it was out of her mouth.
“The boy over there.” Kate pointed towards the tall blond and handsome new guy who was still casually leaning against the entrance sign.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend already?” Jackie asked.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t check out what’s on the market from time to time.” Kate giggled again.
Jackie shook her head finally spotting the big yellow bus. It pulled up a to the bus stop, Jackie and Kate were the first ones to take the three big steps onto the big huge yellow vehicle. They sat in the third seat back on the left, their seat since they could remember. As if they were routinely drawn to the same place every morning and every afternoon. When everyone was on bored the bus driver grunted as he started speeding down the road again towards James Peterson High.
With reaching school, Katie pulled out an apple from her bag and began to munch on it, waiting for her boyfriend Jaxon to show up, while Jackie flipped aimlessly through her text books, since she already memorized her schedule and Kate wasn’t much up for conversation. They had taken resident on a bench near the out door lockers, where the sun just could reach it.
The apple slipped from Kate’s grasp, falling to the cement with a soft thud, Her face flushed of all color and she seemed frozen in place.
Jackie peeled her eyes from the intro to physics page, to give her friend a puzzled look, “What is it, you look as though you’ve seen a ghost.” she laughed slightly as she followed Kate’s gaze towards the fountain, where the “in crowd” hung out. There in the giggling of superficial blonds and steroid stuffed jocks was Jaxon, and get this, Amber. Amber Macintosh, she basically owns the school, sitting on her throne in the presence of the populars, had her tongue stuffed down Jaxon Adams throat, Kate’s boyfriend.
Tears sprang to Kate’s eyes as she turned around and hastily made her way to the bathrooms to hide from shame.
“Katie wait!” Jackie bite her bottom lip, split between, smacking some sense into Jaxon, and comforting her best friend. She quickly gathered her thing, before racing towards the girls restrooms.
“Katie?” she opened the door tentatively before walking in, setting the books on the corner of one of the sinks. There was a sniffel from the end stall where a pair of blue pumps could be see from under the door. Jackie tapped upon the door, that creaked open slightly.
“Oh, Kate…“ Jackie hugged her friend rubbing her back comfortingly, “It’ll be
ok, you never really loved Jaxon anyways, remember you told me…he wasn‘t the one.”
“I know what I told you, and it isn’t because I did love him, that I’m in here. I’ve been completely humiliated.” She banged her fist into the side of the stall.
“What are you talking about, it wasn’t like he was kissing Ellen Comer, think about it this way, yes he cheated on you with the most popular girl in school, but it just proves that your close to that standard. Now if he was making out with Ellen then you can say you were humiliated, and even…it‘s Ellen Comer.”
Kate laughed as she dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a piece of toilet paper.
“So can we get out of here, the bell just rang, and I rather not be late to my first class,?”
“Ya, we can go,” Kate followed Jackie out of the stall they grabbed their books and both headed out into the hallway, where everyone was now in a frenzy having not yet located their classes.
Mrs. Carter was a fat old aging women with a unwomanly deep voice. She taught English Literature and talked in an overly proper voice. The broken piece of chalk she held in her chubby fingers hit the board in quick thuds. The overly obnoxious dress she wore did not lighten her very peevish mood, or the grimness of the class room attitude.
“Jackie Austin!” she turned on her heal to gaze straight at Jackie, yet still not to fully see her.
“Umm…y…yes…” It amazed her that, Mrs. Carter already knew her name already.
“Do not stutter at me girl,” she said sharply, slamming the chalk onto her desk.
“I’m sorry…”Jackie tried to apologize, but was soon cut off by the sharp jeering voice of Mrs. Carter.
“Never, say I’m, always I am. When you speak to me, speak to me as though you are writing an epic on the war, that started on April 12, 1861. Do you know what war that was Miss. Austin?”
“I believe it was the Civil war Mrs. Carter.”
No reaction played upon the teacher’s face as she turned away, back towards the board. “Do you know any world renown authors who have written about this war, Miss. Austin?”
“Army Life In A Black Regiment by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, that is one of my personal favorites,” Jackie said folding and unfolding the corner of the piece of paper that she had set in front of her.
“Mhmm,” was all Mrs. Carter said to that, almost displeased that her little game was not in the slightest going in her way.
Jackie heard a cough of sniggering and then a quick “nerd” and more sniggering. As Mrs. Carter moved on, more questions to unsuspecting prey.
When lunch came around, Jackie met up with Kate in their usual spot at the little round table in the corner of the cafeteria. Unfortunately for Jackie and Kate, Jaxon had the same lunch with them. He was the tall dark and handsome type, the one everyone wishes they could have but really can’t, or something like that. He set his tray down in taking the seat next to Kate, giving her a peck on the cheek, which she responded to by moving her chair closer to Jackie, and further away from, him.
He didn’t seem to notice, scanning his eyes over Kate and then taking a huge bite out of his pepperoni pizza, giving the same look to Jackie. “How have you sweet little bunnies been?” he asked, giving them a sly smile.
Kate set down her fork that she was using to pick at the apple cobbler, she returned the smile, “Well, sweetie, I’ve been just dandy, minus the fact that, well let’s just say,” she gave a very fake giggle before looking around and continuing, “were over.”
“What are you talking about?” he look taken a back at the forwardness.
Kate stood up very suddenly, almost pushing over her chair, “Well asshole, did you think I didn’t see you?”
“See what?”
“Don’t play dumb with me.”
“I seriously don’t know what your talking about.” Jaxon was trying to pull Kate back into her chair by tugging slightly on her shirt, but she wasn’t going to have anything to do with that.
Jerking away from his reach, she practically shouts, “You.., Amber.., at the fountain this morning! Your faces were suction cupped together so that I didn‘t know where one face began and the other one ended.”
People were starting to stare now. You could hear questions of, “what’s happening” and replies of, “I don’t know.”
“Kate, ummm…I think we should…” But Kate quickly interrupted her friend
She turned towards Jackie, her face red and blotchy with emotion. “Jackie, I’m going to say this right here and right now,” she turned back to Jaxon, “We’re over you, you son of a bitch.”
With that Kate grabbed Jackie’s hand, pulling her toward the exit. They left Jaxon sitting open mouthed, staring blankly at their backs as they left him in that dark corner of the cafeteria.
“I can’t believe him, that…that…that jerk!”
“Calm down Katie,” the two of them were now standing outside next to the fountain. Jackie sitting in one of the benches, Kate pacing back and forth, a look of total rage upon her face.
“I can’t! Did you hear him,” Katie imitated Jaxon’s voice, “I don’t know what your talking about…blah blah blah blah blaaaaaah.”
“Still he’s not worth getting all worked up over,” Jackie stopped Kate’s pacing pulling her down onto the bench, “Just cool off for a sec.”
“You’re right, He’s not worth it. Not worth it at all.” Kate finally released the last of the steam and just watched the splashing water of the fountain. A few moments passed before Kate started talking again, “Hey Jackie, did you hear about those murders that happened during the summer?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?” Jackie pulled at a lose string at the bottom of her shirt.
“Well it did happen just over there in those woods, wouldn’t it be, like, really freaky if they hadn’t caught the guy yet?”
“Yes it would, but he was caught, it was that deputy guy,” The girls looked past the fountain towards the trees.
“Yeah, the papers said he tried to make a run for it, do you remember who he killed.”
“Luke and Audrey, and the sheriff,” Jackie bowed her head in a quick moment of silence, remembering the two lovers that would have been in there class. Yes, they were part of the “in crowd“, but it seemed as though there deaths hadn’t effected the overly high spirits of the click. Jackie spotted a flash of red passing threw the trees. Jackie stood up taking a few steps forward, adrenaline suddenly spiked her blood “Did you see that?”
“Huh?”
“Someone’s over there,” Jackie started walking in the direction of the trees.
“What are you talking about? There’s no one over there Jackie. Jackie? Jackie!”

to be continued...