"Are you new in this town?" Emily asked, taking a bite out of her sandwich. "Yeah. We had to shift from our house in Florida because of my father's business." I replied as I looked around the cafe. Most of the students were silently eating their lunch while few groups were happily joking around. In the table behind us, few girls were engaged in a very heated discussion about a hot college boy. "Oh." she muttered. "I hope you will adjust to this city soon. You are beautiful, people will like you." "Umm.." I stammered awkwardly. "Ugh. Not again." Emily's face suddenly paled and she placed the sandwich back on her plate. I followed her eyes and found her staring at a girl. Not just any girl, but an extremely gorgeous one who didn't look like a high school student from any angle. She was swaying her way towards our table. Her off-shoulder red was highlighting her lean figure and her dark brown hair was straighter than the 'A' s I scored in my last school. "Hey Em." she stopped in front of Emily and cast a cold glance at her with her blue eyes. "Chloe." Emily answered lowly, her nervousness was visible from the way she was playing with the hem of her top. "Don't worry. I won't take much of your time. I was just waiting for Justin." she replied in a smooth voice, a hint of taunt was apparent in her tone. Emily's face scrunched badly at the mention of Justin. "Sweety, how many times have I told you to stay away from carbs. These are bad for you." she pushed the plate away from her. "Look at your double chin and flabby stomach. It looks hideous to be honest." she continued. Emily's lower lip was trembling under her scrutiny. What the hell is going on in here? "Now, be a good girl and go order a salad." she passed her a fake smile. "Are you mad or what?" I yelled in irritation at little Miss. Perfect. "Why are you trying to lower her self-esteem when she is clearly not fat? Besides suppose even if she is, it's none of your fucking business." I could feel all the eyes on me, considering my loud tone. But I couldn't care less. "Can you please lower your voice? My head will start aching." her smirk didn't falter. "Besides, it is my business. Right Em? How is dad by the way? Still happy with his choice Or has he realized that her favorite daughter is nothing but a carb-eating hippo." her voice turned suddenly hard at the end. I would have slapped her perfect face if it was not for Emily's begging glances. That bitch left the table without bothering to hear any reply. She swayed her hips and walked towards the cafeteria entrance where a tall boy in a black leather jacket was standing. She circled her arms around his neck and attached her lips with his. I averted my eyes to Emily and found her staring at them with tear-filled eyes. "Emily?" I patted her hand. "You are wondering who she is, right?" she whispered. "Chloe Parker. My caring sister." she muttered sarcastically under her breath. "Sister? As in step-sister?" I asked in confusion. "No. We share the same parents." she cleared. "But after their divorce, dad chose me and she has no other choice than to go with mom." "She is a bitch." I commented, still watching their public display of affection. "It's our mother's fault. She never taught her the difference between right and wrong." she spoke. "And who is that?" I pointed at the black-haired guy she was kissing. "Justin Reed, one of the two self-proclaimed badboys of our school." I didn't miss the longing in her voice. "He is our basketball team captain and the son of Alec Reed, the politician." she told me and I nodded in understanding. I have heard this name so many times in newspapers and Television. "The one leaning against the door behind him is Noah Brown, the vice-captain of team and son of principal Brown. While Justin Reed is always busy sucking the soul out of my sister's mouth, Noah is one step ahead. He has slept with almost half of the girls of Redwood high." she said and I looked at the guy. He looked quite handsome, with his brown messy hair and ocean blue eyes roaming all around the cafeteria until they stopped at me. A smirk replaced his bored expressions and he winked shamelessly. I quickly averted my eyes away from him and turned them back at Emily. "This sounds like a 90's highchool movie. Such things never happened in my last school. Hell, one of the boys lost his virginity and it was the only highlight of school for a year." I reminisced. After we were done with our food, we both rushed for our next class which was US history. Throughout the class, Chloe continued sending taunting smirks towards Emily which she tried her best to ignore. Her boyfriend Justin was in the same class and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. I didn't miss the way Emily's smile wiped off her face every time she witnessed their display. Poor girl. Seems like she has a teeny tiny crush on her sister's boyfriend. We didn't have any other class together so after exchanging numbers we parted our ways. Nothing special happened in the Visual Arts class. Well, probably because I slept through half of the class. By the time I reached my last class which was AP calculus, every inch of my body was aching. In my previous school, we didn't have to move much as most of the classes happened in the same building unlike this school. After stepping into the classroom in my exhausted state, I looked around to find an extra seat. To my disappointment, only one seat was available and it was beside that principal's son. Groaning internally, I made my way to him. "Excuse me, can you please pick your books from this seat?" I asked, using an expressionless tone. "Sure babe." he winked and picked up his books. Pushing back the anger swirling inside my body, I slumped down on the seat and started scribbling my name on my notebook. The teacher soon started the class and I tried my best to keep my attention on the board. It didn't help that Noah was continuing tapping his pen on the desk. I guess the teacher noticed it too but he didn't bother to stop him. "Can you please stop?" I asked in an irritated voice. "Why?" he leaned towards me and whispered in my ear. His smooth voice caused chills down my spine, not in an aww-his-voice-is-so-hot way but because of how hard I was trying to contain my anger. I hate when people invade my personal space like he was doing right now. "Is there any issue, Mr. Brown?" Mrs. Dale finally noticed. "Yeah mam. This girl here is trying to touch me inappropriately under the desk. I don't want to lose my virtue this early." he grinned smoothly and the whole class erupted in laughter. "You son of a bitch." I cursed loudly, my face getting heated with every passing second. Surprisingly, my curse word was a greater offence then his stupid lie which landed me straight into the principal's office. Great. I officially hate New York. ... "You shouldn't have cursed in the class princess." Dad said after much contemplation. "But dad, he insulted me in front of the whole class." I whined like a child. "Still, that's no way to behave in the class." Dad said and I felt even more ashamed. "You should have apologized to him." "But-" "I am not done yet Alicia." his words silenced me. "And then you should have waited for the right moment. Once you are in the right place where nobody could see you attacking, kick him in his family jewels so hard that the whole city could hear his cries." I almost choked on the air when I heard his response. When I was sure he was not kidding, I started grinning. "The nerve of that boy, how dare he hurt my little girl. You know what, just tell me his name and I'd show him whom he is messing with." Dad fumed. "Don't worry dad. Your little girl is now seventeen. She knows how to deal with such boys." I smiled proudly which he returned with a tap on my back. "I know sweetheart. Just remember, I am here for you, no matter what." he pulled me in for a hug which I returned eagerly. I know Dad. I know. After telling me hundred different ways to fight back with highschool boys without getting in trouble, dad left saying he had a meeting to attend. I decided to finish my calculus homework first and then ordered a pepperoni pizza for dinner. I stayed up till 10, watched few episodes of F.R.I.E.N.D.S and finished one small tub of Häagen-Dazs belgian chocolate icecream. "I should keep my diet in check." I thought as I looked into the mirror, running my palm over my protruding stomach. "Meh, who cares." After changing into my fuzzy pajamas, I lay down to sleep but thought of a certain someone flashed through my mind. Hopping out of the bed, I pushed the curtains of my window aside. Like a creepy stalker, I watched the person as he struggled against his punching bag again. There was something strangely satisfying about watching his muscles flex as he punched the bag with all his force. If only I could see his face! Oh God! What has happened to me? In the school, I was talking about running my finger down that boy's jaw and now I am watching this man like a creep. Damn these hormones! Yeah, blame everything on those poor hormones. Closing the window shut, I switched the lights off and lay down again. Boys mean trouble. The more I stay away from them, the better will be my chances of achieving my dream. The dream of becoming the best oncologist in America and then finding a better cure of cancer so that nobody would suffer like my mom did. One day! ____________________________