Karyn let out a long sigh as she stared at the ceiling of her room, not wanting to get out of bed for the first day of school. She really wasn't looking forward to returning to Lakeview Academy, for more than one reason. The new, more acute thing bumming her out, was Jon-boy moving away over the summer, all the way to Greece. She got it was a big job opportunity for his mom, but it still sucked to have her best friend leave for the other side of the planet. It was both a bummer not to have the guy around anymore, and something that unfortunately made her realize how dismal her social life was these days. She just hadn't made many friends over the last couple of years besides Jon, and with him gone she was feeling a bit lonely.
It hadn't always been like that of course; until the end of middle school, she'd been more social, largely driven by her old best friend Sarah. Sarah was the older, more established reason she wasn't looking forward to returning to school. It just hurt to see someone who used to be her closest friend be her enemy, even if Karyn did give as good as she got. Both girls were stubborn to a fault and that had let the rift between them stretch wider and wider, now only bound by a mutual animosity and their memories.
Karyn had been shattered when Sarah dropped her to go hang out with the popular kids like Tiffany and Biff, just feeling betrayed by someone who used to be her rock. It was probably why she'd gravitated so much to Jon. Jon-boy was nice, reliable, and absolutely undramatic; after the big dust up with Sarah she just wanted to be around someone without any kind of drama, someone who was just steadily chill and uncomplicated and Jon fit the bill. (Karyn of course had no idea that those qualities, Jon's lack of dramatic potential, general muted emotional responses, and bland nice guyness were ratings poison for the show she unknowingly starred in.)
"Karyn, if you don't get up in the next five minutes you forfeit your pancakes to me!" one of Karyn's mothers, Bethany, called through the door. It was an empty threat, her mama was just teasing her, but nonetheless Karyn groaned and began getting ready for the day. She grabbed a pair of jeans and a black undershirt, intending to wear her favorite green jumper on top, but she couldn't find it. She went out into the hall, and poked her head into her sister's room, "Kimber, have you seen my green jumper?"
Kimberly who was pulling on a pair of ripped jean shorts, turned and said, "I think mama washed it after you left it in the den." Kimberly was a year ahead of Karyn, about to start her senior year at Lakeview Academy. Technically they were half-sisters biologically, but they didn't make that distinction due to the circumstances; they had the same sperm donor, but one of their mothers, Alyssa, had carried Kimberly, while the other, Bethany, had conceived Karyn. She was a little taller than Karyn, standing 5'8 to Karyn's 5'6, and noticeably more curvy, with a larger bust and rear. Karyn tried not be jealous, but somedays she wished she'd gotten the D cup rack Kimberly had inherited from Alyssa instead of the more petite B-cups she'd gotten from her mama. Both girls had green eyes, and both were redheads, though different shades, with Karyn's a dark auburn and Kim's verging on strawberry blonde.
"Thanks, sis," Karyn said as she raced off for the laundry room. The Black sisters were quite close, and amidst things like the drama that had happened with Sarah, and now Jon's departure, she was grateful for her awesome big sister. The Black family lived on a wooded property, not connected to any neighborhood, on the west side of town. Her mom, Alyssa, was a successful author and her mama, Bethany, was a real estate agent.
"Aha!" Karyn cried in triumph as she found her favorite sweater in the drier. Sure it was something of a comfort blanket for her but she also thought she looked kinda cute in it. Not hot, like Sarah with all her fancy clothes, but maybe a little pretty in her own quirky tomboyish way. She quickly grabbed her backpack and charged down the stairs after her sister, yelling ahead, "Don't you dare eat my pancakes!"
Sarah meticulously adjusted the pink bow tying back her golden hair in the mirror. Today was their first day back and the queen bee was determined to make it another unqualified success. She was wearing a pink miniskirt with silver detailing and a black turtleneck sweater, a silver necklace with a heart shaped pendant laying atop it. The sweater covered what she thought of as her best asset, her girls, but was tight and thin enough that it actually served to highlight her breasts. White strappy wedge heel sandals, silver set diamond stud earrings, and her black Prada purse finished her look. "That should have the boy's drooling, maybe some of the girls too," she muttered as she fluffed her hair, which the ribbon held in a loose pony.
Sarah had an almost pathological need to maintain her popularity, to be the best, and it had been that way since she and Karyn fell out. Karyn had been a major source of stability for Sarah, the best friend she could always trust, and the other girl abandoning her had made her say never again. If Karyn wasn't going to love her, she'd make sure everyone else did. She grabbed her cheerbag and fancy backpack, before heading downstairs towards the McMillan mansion's main kitchen.
She waved at the butler, Reginald, before tucking into the eggwhite omelette the family chef, Olivia, had prepared for her. Both of her parents were out of the house; her daddy was on a business trip to Dubai, and her mom was on one of her week long spa trips, leaving Sarah alone, not that such a state of affairs was particularly unusual. Her parents were busy a lot, and it was a major contributing factor to her need to be the best. (If she excelled, if she was perfect, she thought she could earn their attention)
Sarah was the head cheerleader, but she wasn't a bimbo by any means, actually being a straight A student. She needed to be perfect, and that extended to all aspects of her life. She worked hard for it, dieting and exercising to keep in great shape, keeping on top of all her classes, investing and interacting with a large social circle, maintaining a relationship with the quarterback, and always looking her best. 'Is it any wonder I'm already going to be the captain?' Sarah grimaced a bit as she remembered she be the captain of the squad starting that day; she knew there were rumors that she'd gotten the position, several seniors having been skipped over, due to the generous contribution her father made to the school, but she EARNED her spot. She'd prove it at their first practice that week, and establish dominance as she always did.
She took a deep breath and pushed the remains of her breakfast away. 'No need to give yourself a stress headache just because it's the start of a new year. You've got this. You're the queen of this school, and nobody's going to mess that up.'
