Title: All I've Never Wanted
Author: ACRL37
Date: December-17th-2014. All rights reserved.
©2014

*The Scions were the
four most powerful
guys at Valesca
Academy. They
terrorized anyone who
stood in their way and,
unlike every other girl in
school, all I wanted to
do was avoid them until
I could graduate from
this hellhole. And then,
out of seemingly
nowhere, one becomes
my fake boyfriend, one
my unwanted
matchmaker, one my
guardian angel, and the
one I can't stand the
most? Yeah, he's my
new housemate. Am I
happy? Hell no. INSPIRED
BY HANA YORI DANGO/
BOYS OVER FLOWERS/
METEOR GARDEN*

CHAPTER ONE
Feel it comin' in the air,
hear the screams from
everywhere
I'm addicted to the
thrill, it's a dangerous
love affair
Can't be scared when it
goes down, got a
problem tell me now
Only thing that's on my
mind, is who gon' run
this town tonight?
Is who gon' run this
tonight?
We gon' run this town
~"Run This Town" Jay-Z
& Rihanna
"Sweetie, are you
feeling ok?"
I poked at the pile of
scrambled eggs on my
plate, wondering if I
could possibly fake
being sick to delay my
first day of senior year
a little longer.
Maybe I could claim food
poisoning from the
takeout I ordered
yesterday?
…No. My mom would
never buy it, and even if
she did, I really didn't
want my favorite
Chinese restaurant to
be slapped with a
lawsuit. What about the
flu? Mono? Strep
throat? Sudden
amnesia? My mind raced
through a million fake
excuses as to why I
can't go to school
today, but that darned
maternal instinct would
undoubtedly see
through all of them in a
minute, and I'd just
earn myself a nice
grounding instead.
"…Maya? Maya!"
I started, my fork
clattering against the
plate. "What did you
say?" I asked
distractedly, trying to
get my bearings after
being lost in my
thoughts for the past
ten minutes.
"Are you feeling ok?"
my mom repeated.
"You've barely touched
your food."
I looked down and
realized she was right.
The scrambled eggs
and bacon—usually my
favorite breakfast—
was far from gone.
I took a deep breath,
about to lie and say
that no, I didn't really
feel ok and that I'm not
up for classes today,
but my darned
conscience had to kick in
at that moment. "I'm
fine," I said, pasting a
smile on my face. "I'm
just not really hungry."
My mom arched her
eyebrows and took a
sip of her coffee. She's
like Lorelai from Gilmore
Girls—a total coffee
addict. She had at least
eight cups a day,
despite my insistence
so much caffeine is not
good for her health. You
would think she'd know
that, since she works in
the health industry and
all. "Nervous?"
I shrugged. "Yeah, I
guess." That's one way
to put it, but 'nervous'
isn't an adequate
description for the
Texas-sized pit of
anxiety in my stomach.
"You'll be fine, sweetie,"
Mom said soothingly.
"You were fine last
year. Straight A's! And
you're not even new
anymore."
That's precisely the
problem. I'm not new,
which means after a
year at Valesca
Academy, I know how
it works. Trust me, it's
not pretty. But more on
that later.

*continues*
"You're right," I agreed. I
valiantly spooned some
eggs into my mouth,
my mom watching
closely. They tasted like
cardboard, which I
knew was more me
than her cooking.
Nevertheless, I
managed to eat about
half before I couldn't
take it anymore.
I figured if I had to go
anyway, I might as well
just hurry up and finish
this day up.
"Ok, I'm heading out," I
said, slinging my bag
over my shoulder. "I'll
see you later."
"Have a good day,
honey. Love you."
"Love you too."
When I got outside, I
was relieved to see
that even though the
sky was overcast, it
wasn't raining—yet.
Hopefully it won't until
I'm safe and warm
inside Valesca's walls—
safe being a relative
term.
I guess now is a good
time to back up and
explain everything to
you. My name is Maya
Lindberg, and up until a
year ago, I was happily
living in New York City
with my parents, doing
all the things a normal
teenager does and
attending a normal high
school that, while it had
its clique problems, was
paradise compared to
Valesca.
Unfortunately, my dad
got a promotion at his
company which required
him to move to
Valesca, and as a
result, my whole family
had to uproot itself and
settle into one of the
richest towns in the US.
Now, that wouldn't be
so bad, if it wasn't for
Valesca Academy.
Though considered the
best school in the
country, it's filled with
the snobbiest, most
superficial, most
materialistic people I've
ever met in my entire
life. What makes it all
the more worse is the
way they all cower
before the Scions, who
are a whole other story
unto themselves.
The Scions is the
nickname given to the
four hottest guys in
school: Zack Perry, Carlo
Tevasco, Parker
Remington, and their
leader, Roman Fiori.
Their families, some of
the wealthiest in the
world, actually founded
the town and the
school, which means
everyone, from school
administrators to the
police, is terrified of
them. They usually
keep to themselves,
unless they are
terrorizing some poor
kid who looked at them
the wrong way.
I'm not even kidding
about that. One wrong
look at any of the
Scions and you might as
well kiss your social,
and sometimes
academic, life goodbye.
The abuse wrought by
the rest of the
students on the
offender is so
notoriously horrible
most are forced to
transfer schools.
As for me? Well, I've
never had a direct run-in
with the Scions. It took
me all of one class
period when I started
here last year to realize
how things worked, and
I had gone out of my
way to avoid their
attention.
Astonishingly, it
worked. I've never been
closer than fifty feet to
them, which is
definitely a good thing. I
mean, it might seem
cowardly to some, but I
know the Scions had
the school faculty
eating out of the palms
of their hands, and I
didn't want to risk doing
something that might
provoke their wrath, or
there goes my
teacher's
recommendations and
my dream of attending
Stanford, my future,
goodbye.
Avoiding them is
actually a lot easier
than it sounds,
considering they had
their own classroom,
where they came and
went as they pleased;
their own private nook
in the dining area, and a
mass of students
surrounding them
whenever they went.
I took a deep breath as
Valesca's perfectly
manicured campus
came into view. I could
do this. Just one more
year, and I would be on
my way to college, and
my experience here
would have just been a
bad dream.
I was annoyed but
unsurprised to see the
crowd gathered on the
flight of stairs that led
to the entrance.
Everyone was laughing
and hugging after an
oh-so-taxing summer
apart at their parents'
villas in the south of
France (note the
sarcasm) but they
were all casting
surreptitious glances at
the four empty, prime
parking spots in the
parking lot.
Directly in front of the
school and slightly
separated from the
rest of the spaces,
those were reserved
for the Scions. On
normal days, they
usually carpooled two
and two, but on the
first day, they always
liked to make a grand
entrance, each in his
own overly priced
sportsmobile. During the
other school days, of
course, two of those
spots would remain
empty, since no one
would ever dare park in
one of them.

I love it already..... Lovely story

*continues*
Already in a bad mood, I
elbowed my way
through the crowd,
ignoring my peers'
curious glances. Before I
could get inside,
however, I heard
someone scream my
name.
"Maya! Mayaaaaaaa!
MAYA LINDBERG!"
The last utterance was
yelled directly into my
ear, and I flinched a bit,
waiting for the ringing in
my ears to stop before
I turned to face the
petite, pretty redhead.
"Hi, Venice," I said with
a genuine smile.
"Hiiii!" She enveloped me
in a crushing hug that
had me staggering back
a few steps. For
someone so small and
thin, she sure weighed
a lot. "I missed you so
much!"
"I missed you too," I
laughed, listening
patiently as Venice
rambled on about her
amazing summer eco-
tour of Costa Rica.
Venice France (yes, that
really is her name. Her
parents, apparently
blessed with a sick
sense of humor, also
named her younger
sister Kyoto and her
older brother Frankfurt;
understandably, he
goes by Frankie) is one
of the few genuinely
nice, down-to-earth
people in this school. In
fact, she might be the
only one.
We became close last
year when we both had
the unfortunate luck of
being stuck in fifth-
period AP Calculus with
Mr. White, who is as
albino-complexioned as
his name suggests and
who is way too pen-
happy with his
detention pad. Venice is
also the only person
who is privy to my
seething hatred of the
Scions and everything
they stand for: elitism,
superficiality, tyranny.
Suddenly, the entire
school, it seemed,
erupted into deafening
cheers and hoots. Oh
shit. I was about to slip
inside the school when
Venice grabbed my arm.
"Where are you going?"
she hissed.
"The bathroom," I
blurted. "I really gotta
go."
"No you don't. You just
don't want to see
them," she observed
shrewdly.
"Well, if you know,
why'd you ask?"
"Because I'm not going
to let you slink away
from them any more!"
"I don't slink away," I
protested. "I
strategically miss
them."
She ignored me and
tugged on my arm,
forcing me to walk
down the steps with
her until we were
blocked by the crush of
students. "I don't care
what you call it, it's not
healthy."
I eyed her suspiciously.
"I bet you only want
someone to gush to
about how amazingly
perfect they are."
She shrugged, not even
bothering to deny it.
"They are," she insisted
somewhat defensively.
"Physically speaking,
anyway."
"There's more to life
than looks," I
countered, wincing
when I realized how
annoyingly preachy I
sounded. Gotta work on
that.
"Not if you're in high
school. Now, shhh."
I shut up, not because
she said so, but
because the crowd had
fallen silent, and I didn't
want to speak and
bring attention to
myself.
Venice and I were
standing on the very
top of the stairs, and I
heard them before I
saw them—the sound
of screeching tires as
four very expensive,
very flashy cars turned
sharply at the same
time into their
respective parking
spaces.
I swear, if this was a
movie, there'd be some
dramatic soundtrack
playing right now.
Everyone except me
waited with bated
breath for the Scions to
emerge, and when they
finally did, the ensuing
swoons and screams
were a million times
louder than before.

almacherish:
I love it already..... Lovely story

thank you for following

*continues*
As if the scene couldn't
get anymore sickening,
the clouds decided to
part at that moment,
and a golden beam of
sunlight highlighted the
quartet like they're
really the gods
everyone thinks they
are.
Parker Remington was
the first to get out.
Slamming the door of
his red Lamborghini
shut, I felt like the
renowned playboy
should be moving in
slow motion as he
raked a hand through
his wavy, golden brown
hair. The son of the
most powerful figure in
the international finance
and banking world
leaned against the edge
of his car, his eyes
shielded by a pair of
aviators, and flashed a
disarming smile into the
crowd, causing more
than a few girls to
nearly faint.
Gag me.
The next to come out
was Carlo Tevasco. The
towering, dark
Colombian, though
equally gorgeous, was
nowhere near as
overtly charming as his
friend. In fact, he looked
a little annoyed at all
the ballyhoo that
greeted him. I shouldn't
be surprised; a black
belt in five different
types of martial arts
and the son of a
multibillionaire real
estate developer with
rumored ties to the
mafia, Carlo seems to
be the quietest and
least attention-seeking
Scion, at least when
he's not beating
someone up. Even his
car, a simple but sturdy
black Range Rover,
reflected his
personality.
Following Carlo was
Zack Perry. The grinning
Greek-god-look-a-like
hopped enthusiastically
from his bright yellow
Porsche, his golden hair
gleaming under the sun
like a halo. In my
opinion, the eternally
good-natured Zack
seemed to be the only
one who's even
remotely human in the
group. A musician and
singer, he constantly
has a smile to his face,
though I guess if I
stood to inherit billions
thanks to my family's
dominance in the steel
and railroad industry, I'd
be happy too.
Suddenly, a low murmur
rippled through the
crowd, and when I
looked to see what had
everyone in such a
tizzy, I was shocked to
see a girl had emerged
from the passenger
seat of Zack's car. She's
stunningly beautiful and
supermodel tall, with a
cascading mane of
perfect blonde waves
that framed a delicate,
heart-shaped face with
bright blue-green eyes,
high cheekbones, and
rosy pink lips. Her
slender, perfect body
was encased in a
beautiful pale green silk
sundress that probably
cost more than an
average person's
monthly rent.
Actually, now that I
looked more closely, she
bore a striking
resemblance to Zack.
"No way. No. Freaking.
Way." Venice's jaw was
almost grazing the
ground.
"Who is that?" I asked
curiously. I had never
seen the Scions with
the same girl for more
than a few days, and
never, never had they
made an entrance with
one before.
"If I'm correct, that's no
other than Adriana
Perry, Zack's twin
sister."
I blinked. "He has a twin
sister?"
"Yeah." Venice didn't
tear her eyes from the
spectacle. "They're
really close but she's
been at some Swiss
boarding school since
eighth grade."
"How do you know all of
this stuff?"
Venice just looked at
me. "Um, I live for
gossip, remember?"
Oh yeah. I forgot about
that.
Everyone had quieted
down again, I realized,
because the main
attraction was finally
showing his face.
Roman Fiori. The sole
heir to the world's
largest fortune, which
encompassed shipping,
oil, electronics,
telecommunications,
textiles, and sports
franchises; an athletic
prodigy hailed as the
second coming of
Michael Jordan, Pele, and
Joe Montana rolled into
one; the single hottest
specimen to ever walk
the face of this earth.
According to all the girls
who are currently
peeing themselves in
excitement, anyway. I
mean, I guess I can kind
of see it. The entire
package—the thick,
wavy black hair, the
naturally golden bronze
skin, the sleek muscular
body, the cut-glass
cheekbones, and those
one-of-a-kind, gold-
flecked dark violet eyes
—was made to melt
girls' hearts.

*continues*
Ok, so I can totally see
it, but luckily, it takes
more than just
supernaturally good
looks to win me over.
As far as I'm
concerned, Roman Fiori
is the biggest jerk alive
and as arrogant as they
come.
The small group made
their way leisurely
towards the school,
Roman at front, flanked
by Carlo and Parker,
with Zack and Adriana
bringing up the rear.
The crowd on the stairs
parted like the Red Sea
for Moses.
Roman's face was
expressionless as he
made his way up the
stairs and inside the
hallway.
Everyone waited until all
the Scions and Adriana
were safely out of
earshot before they
started buzzing about
the latter's sudden
appearance.
"Do you think
something happened at
boarding school?"
"Ohmygod, I can't
believe she's going here
now!"
"Man, she's hot!"
It was at that moment
that the bell finally,
blissfully rang.
I let out a relieved sigh.
"Come on, let's get to
class or we'll be late," I
said, pulling Venice like
she'd pulled me earlier.
"Yeah, I make you
watch the hottest guys
ever and you make me
go write essays," she
grumbled. "Some friend
you are."
I smirked. "You'll thank
me one day."
*************
Rrrring! The bell
signaling the end of
third period and the
start of lunch hadn't
even finished ringing
before the hallways
were filled with hungry
high schoolers clamoring
for their daily intake of
gourmet sushi and
pastries flown in from
France.
Yes, that is really what
they serve in our Dining
Center, or DC, as
everyone calls it. Fitting,
considering the politics
in our DC outrivals that
of our nation's capitol
tenfold.
I sidestepped an overly
PDA-ing couple and
pushed my way into
the girls' bathroom,
which is all done up with
Italian marble, sterling-
silver faucets, and
jewel-toned velvet
furniture in the lounge
area, though why a
public bathroom—or
any bathroom, for that
matter—needs a
lounge area is beyond
me. There's even a
bathroom attendant
presiding over an array
of European toiletries.
There were already
three girls in the
bathroom when I came
in, all stick-thin, whose
green-and-gold plaid
uniform skirts were
shortened to the
skankiest proportions
possible.
They're the type of girls
who usually take the
time to shoot me a
disdainful look before
going right back to their
primpfests, sometimes
throwing in a snide
comment about me
being a Westsider or
something. As the
name implies, a
Westsider is someone
who lives on the west
side of town, which is
dominated by split-level
houses that are large
by normal standards
but minuscule compared
to the massive
mansions in the rest of
town. Smaller
houses=less money,
and since there is
virtually nothing more
important than money
in Valesca, you can see
where my Westsider
status is a problem. I
don't really give a shit
what other people think
of me, but I hate it
when my family gets
looked down on just
because we don't earn
millions a year.
That's why I was more
than a little befuddled
when the girls took one
look at me and scurried
out the door, heads
down. If they had tails,
they'd be tucked
between their legs right
now.
It didn't take me long to
realize what was going
on, though.

*continues*
When I turned, I found
myself face-to-face
with Adriana Perry,
who's even more
flawless-looking up
close, if you can believe
it.
There was dead silence
for a good ten seconds
as we stared at each
other. Her face was
unreadable, for the
most part. I thought I
detected a hint of
amusement, but it was
gone so fast I wasn't
sure if I'd just imagined
it.
"Hi," I said awkwardly,
when I couldn't take
the awkwardness
anymore.
No answer.
I had just about figured
she was ignoring me
and was going to leave
when she spoke up.
"Hi," she answered in a
soft, lilting voice.
Though her eyes didn't
stray from my face, I
had the feeling she was
examining me in the
way only girls can give
other girls the once-
over.
"Ok, well, it's nice to
meet you but I'd
actually better get
going…" I slowly began
to edge around her,
painfully aware the
bathroom attendant is
shooting us odd looks.
"What's your name?"
I blinked. That, I didn't
see coming. "Um, Maya."
Silence again.
"Maya Lindberg," I
added.
Apparently, that was
what she'd been
waiting for, because
she then held out her
hand and said, "Adriana
Perry."
I shook her hand
hesitantly. "It's nice to
meet you."
"Likewise." Giving me a
brief smile, she
proceeded to turn to
the mirror and fix her
already-perfect hair
without saying another
word.
Ooook.
Not wanting to stay in
that bathroom a second
longer, I made my way
as quickly through the
door as I could without
downright running. The
encounter hadn't been
unpleasant, but it
hadn't been, well,
pleasant either. It was
just…weird.
What's even worse, I
can't quite shake the
feeling that two-minute
interaction had just
cost me a year's worth
of anonymity.
*************
"So do you guys wanna
go eat in the DC or eat
out somewhere?" Zack
asked, leaning back in
his chair and lacing his
fingers together behind
his head.
"I vote for eating out.
I've been craving
Serrano's," Parker said,
referencing Il Serrano,
the chic Italian eatery
that's practically a
Valesca institution.
Zack smirked. "Yeah,
and I bet that hot new
waitress has nothing to
do with your…craving."
Parker shrugged. "You
know me."
"Yes, we do," Carlo said
dryly. "Now, can we
please decide where
we're going to eat?"
"Let's go to Da Silvano
instead," Zack
suggested. "We've
already been to
Serrano's twice this
past week."
"Da Silvano is in New
York," Carlo pointed out.
"Yeah, but if we go right
now and take one of
the jets we'll probably
end up missing only
fourth period."
"Fine by me," Parker
yawned. "What's the
use of having a private
teacher if he can't be
flexible?"
"I'm sure he'll be glad
he'll finally get a break
from you
troublemakers," a new,
feminine voice said.
Parker sat up a bit
straighter. "Hey, Adri."
"Hey." Adriana looked
around the room. "Are
you guys going to lunch
anytime soon, or are
you just going to stay in
here all day?" she
teased.
"We were thinking
about going to Da
Silvano or Serrano's,"
Parker said. "What do
you think?"

*continues*
"Oh, I think I'm just
going to grab something
in the DC," she replied
airily. Half a day at
Valesca and she'd
already gotten the
acronyms down pat.
Zack blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah, there's some
interesting people here,"
Adriana said with an
oddly secretive smile.
"Not in this school,"
Roman said, speaking
up for the first time.
Adriana rolled her eyes.
"You're too cynical,
Rome," she chided.
"That's no way to go
through life."
"It's worked for me so
far."
She shook her head. "All
you need is a girlfriend,"
she decided. "A nice one.
And then you'll be
better."
"And pigs can fly," Carlo
said loud enough for
only Parker and Zack,
whom he was sitting in
between, to hear. They
snickered.
Roman stared at her
like she was crazy.
"Does it look like I want
a girlfriend?" he
demanded.
Ignoring his tone,
Adriana merely gave
him a serene smile. "You
will once you meet the
right girl."
"I doubt it. The only
thing girls think about is
my money."
"There goes your
cynicism again…"
Roman snorted. "Please.
You're seriously telling
me you can find a girl in
this town who doesn't
care I'm a Fiori?"
"Yes, that's exactly
what I'm saying."
"I'd like to see you try."
"Oh, boy," Zack sighed.
Adriana raised her
eyebrows. "That
sounds like a challenge."
"That's because it is."
"Fine." Adriana looked
inexplicably smug. "Give
me until the end of this
semester. If you don't
like the girl that I
choose enough to ask
her to be your girlfriend,
I won't ever bug you
about it again."
"Well, that's just one
less thing I have to
worry about next
semester then," Roman
said cockily.
"You guys are
ridiculous," Zack
groaned.
"Well, I'm all for it,"
Parker drawled. "My
question, though, is
how are you going to
find the perfect girl
when you haven't even
been here for the past
four years?"
Adriana smirked. "Just
call it female instinct."

I loving this great piece all the way,keep it up more more more ooooo.

amiablejudy:
I loving this great piece all the way,keep it up more more more ooooo.

thanks for following!!

Nice story so far

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amiablejudy:
Shaxee what's up,pls don't go silent now. Your frequent updates will encourage many to come on board.Nice work so far

thanks dear, i'll update ASAP

CHAPTER TWO
You've been hiding,
never letting it show
Always trying to keep it
under control
You got it down and
you're well on your way
to the top
But there's something
that you forgot
What about love?
Don't you want
someone to care about
you?
What about love? Don't
let it slip away
~"What About Love"
Heart
Adriana was on a
mission. If there was
one thing she lived for,
it was a challenge,
especially when the
challenger was Roman.
Even though she had
been at boarding school
for a while, she still
knew Roman a lot
better than he thought.
After all, they were
both children of the
Founding Four families,
who themselves had
been friends for
generations. He might
say he didn't want a
girlfriend, but it was
only because a) he was
under the impression
girls only liked him for
his looks and/or money,
which is fair, since most
of them did, and b) he
hadn't met the right girl
yet. Adriana was sure
there had to be at least
one girl in the world
who was right for him,
and she was going to
make damn sure she
found her. After all,
Roman was like another
brother to her, and she
hated seeing him so
cold and emotionless all
the time when she
knew he was sweet
guy deep down inside.
Way deep down inside.
He just needed
someone to trigger that
part of him, and what
better way to start the
search for the Perfect
Girl than at Valesca
itself?
The sound of her
Manolo Blahnik kitten
heels echoed through
the empty halls, but
she was so deep in
thought she barely
noticed. The mission
wasn't going to be an
easy one, she knew.
As the sole heir to the
largest private fortune
on the planet, Roman
had been spoiled beyond
comparison in terms of
material means, but his
parents, though they
loved him in their own
way, were a bit lacking
in emotional affection.
Basically, Roman had
never really known
what love was or how
people in love were
supposed to act or, let's
face it, that there were
people truly in love in
the first place. The
walls he'd built up
against the opposite
sex were layers thick,
and whoever wanted to
break them down
needed to be tough.
Adriana ran through the
requirements of the
perfect girl in her mind.
Physically speaking, she
needed to be attractive
enough to at least
capture Roman's
temporary interest,
until he got to know her
better. Physically, she
knew his type—he
tended to prefer exotic
brunettes over all-
American blondes.
That wasn't a problem.
What the town's
female population
lacked in sincerity they
more than made up for
in looks.
Personality-wise,
Perfect Girl needed to
be able to speak her
mind but at the same
time not be too
aggressive; intelligent;
able to carry out a real
conversation, and
possess a lack of
superficiality or
pretense.
Now, that ruled out a
lot of girls in Valesca.
Well, I'll just have to
focus on the easy part
first, Adriana decided,
changing direction mid-
stride and heading
towards the
administration wing of
the school instead of
the DC.
The student life office
was pretty quiet when
she arrived, which was
a good thing. Unlike her
brother and his friends,
she didn't particularly
revel in flaunting her
power in front of
others. That was the
good thing about
boarding school; she
didn't have to worry
about others treating
her different just
because she was a
Perry.
Then again, there were
definite perks to the
title, especially when
she needed a favor. Like
now.

*continues*
"Hi!" the office
assistant simpered,
immediately standing
up when she saw who
just came in.
"Hi." Adrianaa was
careful to keep her
voice neutral. She
glanced at the
assistant's name tag:
Teri.
"What can I do for you
today?" Teri asked
eagerly.
"I need a draft of this
year's yearbook,"
Adriana said
authoritatively. Zack
had filled her in on how
yearbooks worked here:
The students' pictures
were taken over the
summer by a
professional
photographer hired
either personally or, if
they want, by the
school, to eliminate any
potential of bad lighting,
poor angles, or garish
makeup. All the pictures
were to be sent to the
school at least two
weeks before classes
started, and the
yearbook committee
would slave over a
mock-up of the
yearbook until
everything was
finalized. The official
draft was supposed to
be top-secret and seen
by only the yearbook
editor until another
draft was created.
Luckily, Adriana had
studied up on every
aspect of her new
school, and she knew
the drafts happen to be
locked in the storage
room of the student life
office.
Teri blinked, not looking
quite as eager now. "Oh,
well…" She swallowed
hard, obviously nervous.
"But only the Director of
Student Affairs has the
key to the storage
room," she admitted
meekly.
Adriana didn't even
blink. If there was one
thing she learned from
being around the Scions
so much, it was how to
get what she wanted in
the least amount of
time. "Well, then, I'll just
have a chat with her,"
she declared, trying not
to sound too imperious.
She didn't enjoy being
so commanding most
of the time but a girl's
gotta do what a girl's
gotta do.
Without waiting for a
reply, she stepped
around the front desk
and made her way to
the back, where the
DSA's office was
located, leaving a
speechless Teri behind.
Thank god Zack and
Parker had given her an
all-access tour a few
days ago.
DR. WENDY WOLLENSKY,
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT
AFFAIRS, the bronze
plaque mounted on the
door read. Adriana gave
one quick knock before
twisting the knob and
stepping inside.
Dr. Wollensky looked up,
obviously startled. With
her short silver hair and
sleek black Prada suit,
she looked astonishingly
like Meryl Streep in Devil
Wears Prada.
"Can I help you?" she
asked, somewhat
rudely. She obviously
didn't appreciate
Adriana just barging in
like this.
Wow, she even has the
same British accent,
Adriana thought
fleetingly, before she
snapped back to the
task at hand and gave
Dr. Wollensky a polite
but warning smile. "Of
course," she said
smoothly. "I would like a
draft of this year's
yearbook."
Now Dr. Wollensky
looked at her like she
was crazy. "A draft of
this year's yearbook?"
She let out a short
laugh. "That's not going
to happen."
"I think it will," Adriana
countered, her voice
saccharine-sweet.
The administrator
narrowed her eyes.
"Now listen here, young
lady, I don't know who
you think you are,
barging into my office
like this in the first
place, and now you
want me to hand over a
confidential document?
That's not going to
happen on my watch."
Adriana almost laughed
out loud. Confidential
document? Jesus Christ,
this was a yearbook
they were talking
about, and not even a
finished version at that.
It didn't exactly contain
a threat to national
security.
"What is your name?"
Dr. Wollensky
demanded, pen at the
ready. To scribble out a
detention notice, no
doubt.
Adriana leaned casually
against the doorway.
"Adriana Perry," she
replied, her tone
conveying the idea she
could not be more bored
with the whole thing.

*continues*
Panic immediately
washed over Dr.
Wollensky's Botoxed
face. "The daughter of
David Perry?" she asked
slowly, visibly gulping.
"Yes." Adriana couldn't
help a note of
smugness from
creeping into her tone.
She did not mind lording
her 'power' over Dr.
Wollensky at all, though
she did feel a bit bad
about the assistant.
"Oh, well." Dr. Wollensky
hastily stood up. "Of
course. I'll go get what
you need right away,"
she promised.
Barely two minutes
passed before she
came back, a thick,
bound stack of paper
tucked discreetly under
her arm. "Here's the
copy," she said. "I'm so
sorry about earlier. I had
no idea…"
"Of course not." Adriana
took the book and
tucked it into her bag.
"Well, I appreciate your
help."
With that, she
sauntered out of the
office at the same
moment the bell
signaling the end of
lunch rang.
"Dang," Adriana
muttered under her
breath. She'd been
hoping to go over some
of the pictures before
fourth period, but that
was obviously not
happening. Unlike Zack,
she tried to miss as
little class as possible.
She would just have to
continue her 'mission'
later.
********************
*
"Gosh, I always love the
food on the first day of
school," Venice said,
spearing a piece of
salmon so fresh it was
practically still quivering
on her fork and bringing
it to her mouth. She
closed her eyes in
gastronomic delight. "If
I ate like this every day,
I'd be 300 pounds by
now."
"You do eat like this
every day," I pointed
out, unscrewing the cap
of my Voss. Trust
Valesca to even have
fancy water.
"I'm not talking about
the quality, I'm talking
about the quantity,"
Venice explained. "Not
that my mom would let
me eat so much
anyways." She rolled her
eyes.
Venice's mom is a
former model and even
though she hadn't
worked in over a decade
she's still super
conscious about her—
and her daughter's—
appearance.
"Oh."I took a sip of my
water and glanced
around the DC. It had
been spruced up over
the summer, and looked
more like a high-end
restaurant than a
cafeteria. It was also
noticeably lacking one
component.
The Scions' table, the
closest to the slanted
glass wall overlooking
the campus' lushly
landscaped grounds,
was empty.
Their lack of presence
was obviously felt by
everyone else in the DC.
The girls looked glum
they couldn't throw
themselves at the
four's feet and the
guys looked both
relieved and
disappointed that their
idols weren't here for
comparison.
"Oh, I almost forgot!"
Venice leaned over the
table excitedly, her gray
eyes sparkling with
excitement. "What are
you doing this Saturday
night?"
"Why?" I asked warily.
Things never turned out
well whenever she
asked me that question
with that look in her
eyes.
"Just answer me," she
insisted.
Definitely not a good
sign. I was about to say
I had promised my
family I'd go to dinner
with them when she
added, "And don't
bother using that tired
old family dinner excuse.
In case you've
forgotten, you told me
your dad's away on a
business trip until next
Monday."
Damn it! This is one of
those moments when I
definitely regret telling
her so much. "I guess
I'm not doing anything,"
I admitted grudgingly. I
hadn't realized how
hard it is to come up
with a believable excuse
on the spot until today.
"Good." Venice beamed.
"Stan Hoffman's having
a party at his house and
you're coming with."

*continues*
"What? No way!"
"Why not?" she pouted.
"You already said you're
not doing anything."
"Because…what if I
have a lot of homework
due or something?" I
argued feebly. It
sounded lame even to
my ears.
Venice gave me a cross
look. "Maya Lindberg,
you are a healthy, 17-
year-old teenage girl.
You do not need to do
homework on a
Saturday night and miss
the school year's first
party!"
"But the Scions might
be there," I pointed out
a bit desperately. "Like
you said, it's the first
party, and they're
bound to be there."
"Uh…not really. They're
super picky about which
parties they get seen
at, remember? They're
probably not even going
to be there, sadly."
Ok, so truthfully, it's
not just about the
Scions. I just don't like
parties. Don't get me
wrong, I'm not morally
opposed to them or
anything, but I've been
to a few last year and
they just seemed to
consist of people
getting drunk and
hooking up with each
other so others will
gossip about them the
next day. Not exactly
my idea of a good time.
"Pleeeease?" Venice
begged.
I shook my head
stubbornly.
"Pretty please? With a
cherry on top?"
When I steadfastly
refused to reply, she let
out an exaggerated sigh
and leaned back in her
chair. "Fine. But then I'd
have to go alone, and if
I end up getting so
drunk I have sex with
some random guy and
get knocked up you
better become the
godmother."
"Venice France!" I nearly
shouted, the use of her
full name not nearly as
intimidating as I might
like it to sound thanks
to the sheer silliness of
it. "Don't even joke
about stuff like that!
Haven't you ever seen
16 & Pregnant?"
She shrugged.
"Technically, I'm 17.
Besides, who knows?
Things like this
happen…"
"How about if you don't
go instead?" I gave it
one last shot.
"Do I really have to
answer that?"
I scowled. Even though I
knew the chances of
Venice drunkenly
hooking up with a
stranger were slim to
none—the girl couldn't
even stand the smell of
beer, much less drink it
—I still didn't want her
going to Stan's party
alone. The football
player was a renowned
womanizer, second only
after Parker, and his
parties seemed more
like giant orgies than
actual parties. "You
should be glad I'm such
a good friend," I
groused.
Venice smiled cheekily.
"Oh, cheer up, Grumpy,"
she said cheerfully. "It'll
be fun. I promise."
********************
Carlo deftly dribbled the
ball around Zack and
passed it quickly to
Roman, who managed
to break through
Parker's formidable
defense to slam-dunk
the ball into the net,
breaking the 80-80 tie.
"Whoo!" Carlo gave his
partner a high-five,
grinning as they
continued their
consecutive winning
streak.
"Man, you guys always
win," Zack complained
good-naturedly, pulling
up the hem of his shirt
to wipe the sweat off
his face and revealing a
chiseled six-pack that
bore no hint of the
thousands of calories
he shoveled into his
mouth every day.
"Sorry, man, we can't
help being better than
you," Carlo joked,
draping a friendly arm
around Zack's
shoulders.
"Uh, you are not better
than us."
"I think our record more
than speaks for itself."
"Hmm…yeah, you're
right," Zack said
thoughtfully. "Or not!"
Abruptly turning he
grabbed Carlo in a head
lock, laughing as his
friend let out a
surprised grunt.

Hmmm still following ardently

Hmmm still following ardently.

loving this already. Following...

Shaxee what's up

amiablejudy:
Shaxee what's up

am cool and you?

*continues*
It took Carlo all of two
seconds to recover and
he managed to extract
himself from Zack's grip
and pin him to the
ground, wrestling-style,
in even less time.
Parker burst out
laughing at the look on
Zack's face. "Come on,
Perry, you know he's
not a black belt for
nothing."
"Yeah, yeah," Zack
huffed, even though he
was smiling. "Let's take
it to the stage and see
how you fare then."
"Hey, I never said music
was my thing." Carlo
shrugged. "Bit too sappy
for me."
"Are you calling me
sappy?" Zack asked
suspiciously.
"You guys are
ridiculous," Roman said,
taking a swig of his
Gatorade. "Why do I still
hang out with you?"
"Because your life would
be a boring wasteland
without us?" Zack
guessed.
"Because you would
have to face all the
people you offend
without anyone to back
you up," Carlo added.
"Aaand…" Parker paused
dramatically. "Because
you would just sit in
your grand old mansion
every day and not
interact with the rest
of society if we're not
here to force you to do
so."
Roman looked slightly
affronted. "I would
not," he snapped. "I'm a
very sociable person."
His statement hung in
the air for a moment,
before Zack, Carlo, and
Parker collapsed into
fits of laughter.
"Haha…sociable person…
that's a good one," Zack
gasped.
Roman scowled. "I don't
see what's so funny."
"Oh, I think he's
serious," Carlo said,
attempting a straight
face and failing
miserably.
"For someone who
barely talks in school
you sure have a lot to
say when it's just us,"
Roman muttered. He
glared at his friends.
"STOP LAUGHING!"
The other three Scions
quieted down, but their
mouths still twitched
with amusement.
"Oh, come on, Rome,"
Parker cajoled. "You're
not exactly the most
social person on the
planet and you know it.
The only people you talk
to is us."
"I talk to Adri," Roman
pointed out.
"She doesn't count,"
Carlo countered. "She's
practically one of us."
"Yeah, if Zack gets on
our nerves too much,
we can just sub her in,"
Parker suggested,
earning himself a punch
in the arm. "Ow! Watch
it, these biceps are
precious."
"Only to your ego." Zack
stood up and brushed
himself off. "Speaking
of Adri, how're you
feeling about that little…
conversation between
you guys earlier?" he
asked Roman.
The head Scion
shrugged. "She'll never
manage it," he replied
confidently. "Girls like
that don't exist."
Parker shook his head.
"I don't know what I'm
going to do with you.
How can you be so
opposed to girls when
you haven't even really
had a girlfriend?"
"I barely like most of
them enough to hook
up with them, much
less date them." Roman
picked the basketball up
from the floor and spun
it absentmindedly on
one finger. "They're too
manipulative and high-
maintenance."
"So would you rather
date members of the
same sex?" Carlo asked
innocently.
Parker and Zack hid
their smiles while
Roman glared at his
Colombian friend. "I
wish you're really as
silent as you appear in
school."
"Sorry, no can do." Carlo
crossed his arms over
his chest. "But back to
the subject. What
happens if Adri does
find the right girl? Would
you actually be truthful
and say something if
you had feelings for
her?"

*continues*
"It's not gonna happen."
"But what if?" Carlo
persisted.
Roman exhaled sharply.
"If that happens—and
I'm telling you right now
it won't—I'll be truthful.
When have you ever
known me to lie?"
"That's good news, or
else I won't hear the
end of it at home," Zack
noted wryly. Suddenly, a
loud ping sounded, and
all four boys reached for
their phones.
"It's me." Parker quickly
scanned the new text.
His lips curved into a
smile. "Ok, gentlemen,
it's been real, but I have
some business I need
to take care of," he
announced, pocketing
his phone. "Talk to you
later." He slapped hands
goodbye with the other
three and with one last
wave, exited the Fioris'
indoor basketball court.
"I bet his 'business' has
something to do with a
certain hot little
waitress he met
today," Zack remarked.
Carlo shook his head.
"Always ditching us for
the ladies. What
happened to bros over
ho's?"
"It went the way of
the CD player," Zack
replied, earning himself
an odd look from his
friends. "What? I
thought that was
clever! You know, cuz
no one uses CD players
anymore..." Blank stares.
"Oh, forget it," he
huffed. "I see my sense
of humor is under
appreciated here."
"Apparently." Roman
smirked.
Another ping sounded;
this time, it was Zack's
phone.
I need ur help. Come
home now.
-Adri
"Not even a please,"
Zack grumbled.
"Sisters." He didn't really
mind; that was what
he got for popping out
two minutes later than
Adriana. Maybe she'll
appreciate his
wittiness.
Then again, maybe not.
"You're leaving too?"
Roman asked.
"Yeah, Adri needs my
help with something,"
Zack replied.
"I bet it has something
to do with her search,"
Carlo remarked helpfully.
"I don't want you guys
planning anything behind
my back," Roman
warned. "Or else I'd
think you want Adri to
win."
"Of course not," Zack
said, even though he
secretly did. That was
one of the few things
he and Adriana agreed
on: Roman seriously
needed a girlfriend. Stat.
********************
***
"Did you seriously spend
your whole day looking
at this thing?" Zack
asked skeptically,
flipping through the
yearbook draft.
"Yes," Adriana
answered somewhat
defensively. She'd made
a copy of the draft and
given the original back
to the DSA earlier. The
copy she made had
giant X's through the
freshman and
sophomore sections, as
well as smaller X's
through all the guys and
upperclassmen girls
who hadn't made the
first cut.
"Gee, you're really
serious about this
whole challenge thing."
"Of course I am! Or else
ten years from now
everyone will be married
and Roman will be by
himself, miserable."
"Either that or he would
have married some
trophy wife and be
perfectly content."
Adriana rolled her eyes.
"Stop contradicting me
and help me out with
this," she ordered.
"It would be nice if you
said 'please' every once
in a while."
"Fine. Please."
"That wasn't very
sincere."
"Do you want me to
smack you?"

*continues*
"Oooh, yeah, cuz that's
going to hurt sooo—
OW!" Zack yelped,
rubbing the back of his
head. "Hey, that's not
fair! You have long
nails!"
"Sue me. Are you going
to help me or not?"
"Be very glad I'm such
an amazing brother."
Zack snatched the book
from her hands.
Adriana smiled sweetly.
"You know I love you."
"Yeah, yeah. Now what
exactly is it you want
me to do?"
"Wellll…although I like to
think of myself as doing
pretty well on the
Valesca information
front I've only still been
at school for a day so I
don't know that much
about the people—"
"And you want me to
cross out anyone who I
think Roman won't like,"
Zack finished.
She beamed. "You really
are the best brother
ever."
"Don't get so happy
yet," Zack said dryly,
examining the page in
front of him. "I don't
know much about a lot
of these girls, except—
oh, definitely not her.
Gold-digger to the max.
And not her either." He
lowered his voice. "I
heard she went through
seven plastic surgery
procedures over the
summer. Rome
definitely won't like
that, he prefers girls
who are more natural.
That's what he says
anyway."
Adriana gave her
brother a look. "For a
guy, you're kind of
gossipy."
"You're only just figuring
this out?"
Eh. He had a point.
An hour later, the Perry
siblings were collapsed
on Adriana's bed, barely
moving.
"Holy shit, I had no idea
looking at pictures
would be so tiring,"
Zack groaned. "I hate
you for making me do
this, Adri."
"Hey, Roman's your
friend too, you know,
and this'll be good for
him." Adriana buried her
face in her pillow.
"Sometimes I wish I
wasn't such a good
person."
Zack snorted. "I think
your wish came true a
long time ago," he
joked, earning himself a
jab in his side. "Stop
abusing me," he pouted.
"It's not very nice."
"You weren't a lot of
help," Adriana sighed,
too tired to even be
really annoyed. "You only
crossed out six names!"
"Well, I'm not the girl
expert in the group,"
Zack pointed out. "You
should've asked Parker."
His sister sat up
straighter. "Oh yeah…
you think he would be
able to come over
now?"
"I doubt it," Zack
yawned. "I think he's
with some girl."
Adriana made a face.
"Right. Typical," she
mumbled. "Well, I guess
if I can't do this
objectively, I would just
have to get to know
everyone better in
person," she decided. "I
heard there's a party
this Saturday."
"You're talking about
Stan Hoffman's party?"
"Yeah, I think that was
his name. You know
him?"
Zack shrugged. "Yeah.
We have him run some
errands for us
sometimes. He throws
pretty cool parties."
"Good." Newly
energized, Adriana
closed the yearbook and
placed it in her bedside
drawer. "Then we're
going to that party."
"By we you mean…"
"Me, you, Parker, and
Carlo, if he wants to
come. I don't want
Roman to know what
I'm up to. Better
surprise him with who
the girl is so he doesn't
have time to put his
defenses up."
"I think it's just gonna
be us and Parker. Carlo
doesn't really care much
for Stan's parties.
Besides, we need
someone to distract
Roman."
"True," Adriana allowed.
"You actually said
something smart for
once."
Thanks," Zack said
sarcastically.
"No prob," Adriana
chirped, already looking
forward to Saturday.
This was going to be
fun.

amiablejudy Thanks to you for keeping this update alive

A/N Hope this chapter wasn't too boring!! It'll get better soon, promise =) And next chapter is the party
scene..woohoo! It's
going to be a turning
point.. Same deal as before, 20 readers before I update?
amiablejudy. Anyway, yeah, thanks for reading!
Glad I could update
this (Nairaland freaked me out when it was down earlier lol). Btw,
For those of you who
haven't read my other story, If We Ever Meet Again, check it out!
(www.nairaland.com/2049910/numinous-book-1-novella)
Need 20 more readers on the few chapters of that before I update
again... Ok, I talk too much, I'll stop now. Mucho love to my readers, and until next time!

Loving this

Ok dear,its cool at ur terms,when u r ready I hope to still follow.Well done

CHAPTER THREE
There's a smell of stale
fear that's reeking from
our skins
The drinking never
stops because the
drinks absolve our sins
We sit and grow our
roots into the floor
But what are we
waiting for? What are
we waiting for?
So give me something
to believe
Cuz I am living just to
breathe
And I need something
more to keep on
breathing for
So give me something
to believe
~"Believe" The Bravery
I heard it before I saw
it: the deep, thumping
bass of loud party
music, which I could feel
vibrating my seat even
though we were
halfway down the road.
"Oh, come on, move!"
Venice grumbled,
pressing down on her
car horn. Hard. She
narrowed her eyes at
the line of cars snaking
up the street, all
waiting for their chance
to park and party.
"I think this is a sign," I
announced, running a
hand nervously through
my hair. Though it
usually had a hint of
wave to it Venice had
flat-ironed it to sleek
perfection earlier.
"Maybe we're not
supposed to be here
tonight."
"No…Stan's parties are
always like this," she
answered distractedly,
trying to maneuver
around the Mercedes in
front of us, to no avail.
"It's the first party of
the year! Of course
there's going to be a lot
of people."
"Great." I slumped down
in my seat.
"Remember what you
promised me earlier?"
Venice asked pointedly.
"You said you were
going to keep an open
mind and not be such a
Debbie Downer."
"I know, I know." I sat
up straighter. "You're
right. Even though I
despise the person
throwing this party,
don't know anyone else
here, and completely
disagree with the way
things work in this
town, that does not
mean I can't have a
good time!" I paused.
"That came out a lot
more sarcastic than I
intended."
Venice laughed. "You're
ridiculous." She eased
off the brake as the line
inched forward a little.
"You've been in such a
cranky mood lately I
think tonight's the
night."
A chill ran down my
spine. "Uh…the night for
what?" I asked slowly,
knowing what she was
going to say but
dreading it nonetheless.
"The night to find you a
guy!" she exclaimed, in a
duh voice. "You are 17
years old and you've
never even had a real
boyfriend, which is…
well, it's not normal,
especially since you're
gorgeous, girlie."
I blushed, muttering
something about how I
wasn't, really.
Compliments on my
looks always make me
feel awkward. I really
don't even think of
myself as pretty. I
mean, yeah, I know I'm
not ugly or anything,
but when I look in the
mirror I just see a
regular teenage girl.
Venice groaned. "You kill
me. Do you even realize
how all the guys stop
to stare at you
whenever you walk into
a room?"
"They don't."
"They do!" She gazed at
me calculatingly. "But
don't try to change the
subject. There'll be
plenty of hot guys here
tonight and even if you
won't date any of them
you can still hook up,
can't you?"
"You're the one who
brought it up in the first
place," I huffed. "And
I'm not really a hook up
type of person, V."