mouth. She jumped out of bed. Scolding herself while rushing to her closet, her fingers
sorted through outfit after outfit. It was now 6:50 and she had ten minutes to look like she
hadn't just rolled out of bed, then speed through the quiet streets and get her ass into her
homeroom seat all before roll call.
She had overslept again and this was the price she had to pay. She ripped off her cow print
PJ bottom's and white tank top, changed her bra and underwear, then put on her final
attire choice, which was: a pair of navy blue, baggy capris with cargo pockets on each side
(think Avril Lavigne in her 'Complicated' video), a black, spaghetti strap tank top and her
beat-up Vans sneakers. Her socks were long, like baseball socks and light blue and dark
blue striped.
She ran a brush through her long hair a couple of times, then swept her mascara,
eyeshadow, lip gloss, eyeliner and lipstick into her open messenger bag and then sped
down the stairs. She figured she could apply her makeup in the bathroom during
homeroom. She paused momentarily to snatch her car keys and an apple. Then, she ran
past the kitchen, out the front door and was about to race to her car, when the site before
her caused her to skid to a halt.
"Hey beautiful, let's go!"
Raven stood where she was, messy messenger bag limply dangling from her hand.
"Lance?! What are you doing here?" she asked. Lance laughed, as usual, looking like the
world's most-wanted Abercrombie Model, sitting behind the wheel of his Benz.
"And good morning to you too. Being the generous boyfriend I am, I thought you'd want
a ride to school...plus...there's something I need to talk to you about", he explained, the
second part of his explanation putting a damper on his joking mood.
She laughed, ignoring his sudden change in attitude. She walked down to the car, opened
the door and as soon as she sat down, Lance peeled away from the curb and towards
Bronson Alcott High School. She put her bag on the floor and flipped through his CD
collection, then put in Limp Bizkit's 'Significant Other'. Turning in her seat, Raven faced
Lance, a smile beginning to grow on her face.
"Boyfriend? Since when did you suddenly become my boyfriend?" Raven questioned, half
serious, half kidding. Lance gave her a sly smile, his eyes still on the road.
"I thought since we kissed, it was an unspoken fact", he casually replied. Raven rolled her
eyes, the smile never vanishing.
"So you think that because of your never ending quest to date me, which includes a car,
flattery and an amazing kiss, you think you've won me over and have the right to call me
your girlfriend?" Raven teased. Lance shrugged sheepishly.
"Uh-" he began.
"Well if the answer is yes, then you're absolutely right." Lance laughed. A few minutes
later, he pulled into the parking lot of the school and headed straight to one of the good
parking spaces in the front of the school.
It was unwritten law that the best parking spots were reserved for the 'beautiful people' of
Bronson Alcott. Everyone else had to fit for a half decent space and for those unlucky few
that didn't get those, then this went the undesired consequence of parking in the very back,
which meant rocks large enough to pop your tire and waiting an eternity to get out.
The couple got out of the car and began walking to homeroom. Raven felt her lower back
break out in goosebumps when Lance sneakily wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Hey, what did you want to tell me?" Raven asked, her eyes reading a neon yellow poster
that said in black, huge, block lettering:
*HOMECOMING DANCE*
One Week Away!
8:30 PM in Bronson Alcott Gym, after the first game of the season!
Lance hesitated, opened his mouth to tell her but then quickly clamped it shut. Raven
glanced at him in curiosity. Lance shook his head.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to the homecoming dance. After all, I am
playing in the game that night", Lance replied. Raven's smile disappeared.
"Well....I don't know. Dances aren't my thing. Besides, I don't think I'd find a dress in
time. The dance is one week away and all the dresses that won't make me look like a total
idiot are taken by none other than all of the idiots", Raven complained. Lance kissed her
temple.
"Hey, don't worry, you look great in anything", he soothed. Raven let out a small smile.
"Thanks. But I don't know. I don't really want to go. But if it means that much to you, I
guess I'll re-think it, kay?"
He forced out a smile.
"Ok." Raven stopped in front of Mr. Kannamela's door.
"Well, I gotta go. I'll see you in history", Raven replied, which they had before lunch.
"Ok. I'll miss you", Lance joked, giving her a puppy dog look that would have made any
girl melt.
"I'll miss you too", Raven replied with a roll of her eyes. Lance laughed and started down
the hall to his homeroom.
"See you later."
"Bye", she called over her shoulder as she stepped into the classroom. She lazily walked
down the aisle and took a seat in the back, next to Alicia. A few seconds later, a note
landed on Raven's desk. She quickly opened it, already knowing it was from her friend.
-Rave
What's this I hear bout Pretty Boy practically groping u in front of the school!!?? And to
think, I'm your best friend and I had 2 discover this through Kerry, who had heard it as she
was passing by the cheerleaders. So spill; what's going on!!??
-Lesh
Raven laughed and wrote her answer back.
*Lesh
Ok, Pretty Boy has a name, u know! N e way, he DIDN'T grope me. He kissed me...but
before you have a heart attack, get a pass 2 the bathroom and I'll xplain in further detail.
~Rave
They waited until Mr. Kannamela had quickly recorded the attendance to ask.
"Um, Mr. Kannamela, can I have a pass to the bathroom?" Raven called while raising her
hand.
Mr. Kannamela scribbled a bathroom pass and held it out to her. Raven got up from her
seat, grabbed her messenger bag, took the pass and started out the door and to the
bathroom. She was hovering over a sink, applying black eyeliner to her second eye when
Alicia barged in.
"Raven, you have some explain to do", Alicia replied, mimicking the voice of Ricky
Ricardo on I Love Lucy. Raven smirked, finished her eye and reached into her bag for her
smoky blue eyeshadow before answering.
"First of all, he didn't grope me...or he'd have come into school today with a black eye and
an appointment for a testicle retrieval operation", she answered. Alicia relaxed a little but
didn't let the question be left unanswered.
"So, then what happened?" she demanded, digging into Raven's bag and snatching the
mascara for herself.
Raven sighed and on the completion of both eyes, put the eyeshadow back into her bag.
She grabbed her lipgloss, which had a slight pink tint to it and was surprisingly called
'Crush.' She paused before applying the makeup, staring at the tube for a minute like the
answer to the question was written all over it with a black, permanent marker. She
shrugged and continued what she was doing.
"I don't really know. That's something I'm still trying to figure out myself. One minute,
we're arguing, as usual and the next, I'm frozen in place and he's kissing me", she
explained. Alicia grinned.
"I hate to say it-wait no I don't. But, I told you so!" she gleefully exclaimed. Raven rolled
her eyes and snatched the mascara wand from Alicia's hand.
"Yeah, whatever. So...are you going to the homecoming dance?"
"Hell yeah", she proudly answered. Raven poked herself in the eye with the mascara;
startled at the response. Alicia laughed.
"Hell yeah? What the hell? Miss, I hate school dances because it's an excuse for the
popular kids to get wasted and at the same time silently remind the rest of the student
population that we don't have a date, now WANTS to go? Have I stepped into the
Twilight Zone?" Raven demanded.
"Ok, I know I said that but it was only because I didn't have a date. And besides, if you
can't join them, cause utter chaos by ruining the dance", Alicia replied. Raven laughed, her
shock abated.
"Then who's your-" The intercom interrupted Raven's question.
And now, the moment you've all been waiting for! Bronson Alcott High School's
homecoming queen nominees!
Raven snorted.
"Another excuse for the preppy girls to flaunt what three hundred dollars of Covergirl
makeup, dieting and stuffing their bras with toilet paper can do for your social status", she
darkly muttered.
-The nominees for your two thousand and two homecoming queen are......
Amber Anderson
Claudia Campbell
Tyra Taylor
and....
Alicia let out a gasp and Raven poked herself in the eye for the second time that day at the
revealing of the last nominee. Rage, then shock, then rage again flowed through her veins.
-And the last nominee is...Raven Kenzington?!
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