Chapter 2 “Jealous”

I woke up extra early the next morning of school and I got ready pretty fast. I walked to school to make sure that I wouldn’t attract any attention.

The school was only 4 blocks north from our house, so it was an easy walk for me. I finally arrived at school but it seemed that I was too early. The doors were still locked but the guards allowed me to get in. Since there was nothing to do I decided to wait on the stairs. I drew just to kill time. I searched for the perfect subject and decided to draw the rusty old playground.

I guess I was too carried away with what I was doing that I didn’t notice that someone else was already with me.

“Wow, you’re good!” someone commented. I turned my head and was surprised to see my knight. We fell into a deep silence.

“Uh… you okay?” he said trying to break the silence.

“I guess so,” I finally replied all flushed.

“Edgar Ramos, Eddie for short. What’s your name?” he smiled.

“Addie, Adeline Driftwood,” I said as I went back to my drawing.

“Cool, our nick-names have a one letter difference,” he said.

“Not cool, our nick-names have a one letter difference,” I laughed.

“You’re new here, aren’t you? It’s the first time someone came earlier than I did,” Ed shared.

I listened to him as I continued to draw. Unconsciously, I began to smile. “Hey. Could I consider you as a friend?” he tapped me.

“Sure, I really need one right now. I’ve got none in the neighborhood. You’re practically the first one to talk to me.” I said with a wide smile.

“Your smile reminds me of someone," he said. "I really like her but I never got the chance to get her name. What I do know is that she’s Frederick and Sierra Driftwood's daughter. I guess I’ll have to wait for the newspaper. Wait, didn’t you just say you’re last name is Driftwood?” Eddie as he stared at me with wonder.

“Yes, I am. But I’m not Sierra and Freddie’s daughter so you've probably never seen me. I’m their niece. My parents died a month after my birth and since that Aunt Sierra and Uncle Freddie were the ones to take care of me.” I lied.

“Who was that girl who tripped?” he inquired.

“Her name is Lin."

The doors were finally open so we went in. He gave me a quick tour around the campus and led me to the classroom. I thanked him and we bade farewell.

“I’ll get you here by lunch, I mean, if you don’t have plans of course,” he said

“Lunch sounds great,” I smiled.

He found his way through the crowded hallway as I watched him until he was lost in the crowd. I sat in the front row and in a few minutes after, class started.

I was jotting down some notes when the bell for lunch rang. After a few minutes, Ed was already outside waiting for me. We went to the cafeteria and joined a group of 11^th graders. “Guys, this is Addie, the girl I’ve been talking about,” Eddie introduced me to the group; “She’s a 9^th grader.”

“Hi,” I greeted them in an awkward tone. They introduced themselves to me. There was Terence, the blond jerky jockey; Abby, the flirty cheerleader; Gigi, the bubbly girly-girl; and Steven the sly schemer. I was, to them, Addie the youngster with potential.

“Ed, here’s the newspaper you asked for.”  Steven said as Eddie caught the paper.

“Finally,” he said as he started to read the paper. Ed was busy reading the news, so the group chatted with me.

“So Addie, is it okay that I call you that? You’re Freddie's niece right?” Steven said.

“Sure…”

“Must be cool, huh?” Abby dreamily asked.

“No, I hate that. People come near me thinking it's so cool being his niece but it’s not. The most fake people in the world pretend to be your friend and end up stabbing you behind. That's why I keep my life as simple as I can, so that fakers won't be able to pretend."

"Chill, girl," Abby said, "We get the point."

"So you don't have much friends?" Gigi curiously asked. 

"Nope, people consider themselves as my friend but I don't. That's exactly why I don't have a best friend. They all say that they find me too plain," I shrugged. 

"I think you're cool," Steven said. "Me too," the group motioned. 

"Thanks," I said with a smile as I turned to Ed. Something took my eye, it was the bold headline on the front page which said, "Local hero saves international star's daughter" The accident?! That's what Eddie's been busy about?!

"Lin, right?" he smiled. "Addie," he said turning to me, "you said Sierra's your aunt?"

I nodded.

"So Lin is your cousin?" he eagerly asked.

No, I am Lin, I thought. "Uh, yeah. Sure." I uttered absentmindedly.

"So where is she? How is she?" he said.

"She's in Paris, she studies there. The last time we talked was yesterday. She's fine I guess. And I think she likes you too." I said, sort of jealous. I'm pathetic right? Me? Jealous of my own self?

Chapter 1 “Move out, fall in”

It was the start of fall and I could smell the crisp air. We were packing all our stuff and all my friends were there to help.

I was checking my stuff when one more visitor came; it was Ralph, my long time crush. I never thought Ralph would come as he never notices me, and the only sentence he ever said to me was “Excuse me, Addie”. On the bright side, at least from there I knew that he knows my name.

Then the moving truck finally arrived, “Stuff in!” Dad shouted.

We were all packed and ready to go, my so-called friends were all bidding me goodbye. One by one they came to me, gave me a hug, and handed me some farewell notes. Then came Ralph, “I didn’t bring any note or whatever, I... just came because Bea forced me to, nothing special.” he said before he looked away. I simply smiled thinking that was the longest sentence he ever said to me.

"Into the car please?" Bea, my big sis, said. It was sad to part ways with Los Angeles, but I had no choice, my parents wanted a simple life in Norwich.

“Wake up sleepy head,” I woke my mom up, “Thy fans await thee!” By the way, my mom, Sierra Driftwood, is an international superstar, but I didn’t want anyone to know that I’m her daughter. I can’t bear fame. What the public knew was that her daughters were Bea and Lin.

Who is Lin? Every time I go out in public with my mom, I put on the opposite of my natural side. I’d wear a blonde wig, pricey clothes, designer shoes, one of a kind accessories, and deep-blue contact lenses. That’s Lin. The usual me? You’ll see my natural deep-red hair and green eyes, which I got from my dad. I’m usually seen in the most comfortable clothes to be in, shorts, shirts, jeans, flip-flops and sneakers.

Anyway, we finally reached Norwich, New York in our private jet. “I don’t even see a mall!” Bea complained, “How am I supposed to survive?”

“You’ll have your own mall in the mansion. I’ve already called in a monthly supply of the latest designer stuff you like for 5 years.” dad said trying to shut Bea up. By the way, my dad, Frederick ‘Freddie’ Driftwood, is the lead guitarist of the famous band, Captor.

“Addie, put on your wig,” mom cautioned “we’re about to land.” I quickly put on my dress and my wig. I put on some make-up, and put on my contact lenses.

“Addie, I mean Lin! Sit down! The plane is landing!” dad said as I was putting on my shoes. Just as I was walking to my seat, the seat-belt light turned on. I stumbled down the aisle and luckily, I landed on my seat.

“We’re finally here!” dad cheered. We all went down and the crowd cheered at the sight of mom and dad.

“Sierra!” some shouted, others screamed “Freddie!” I saw smiles on each of their faces. Me? Well, I was behind mom trying to be all charismatic and pretty.

While I was standing pretty, Bea waved and accidentally pushed me over. The crowd gasped at the sight of me falling almost ten feet from the ground. Luckily, a knight in shining armor came and rescued the damsel in distress. Okay, fine, he wasn't a knight in shining armor, but he sure saved my life. He gently put me down. I kissed his cheek and thanked him as I ran back to my worried parents. They checked if I was hurt, but I was pretty sure nothing was dislocated, lacerated or bruised in any way.

Bea looked guilty and tensed. She knew that the moment she would close the door of the limo, she’d be scolded. I hugged her real tight and assured her that I was completely fine. “Thank you,” I whispered. She looked pretty confused. I just laughed and told her that I would tell her later.

We reached the limo and mom waved for the last time. I searched the crowd before I went in; I made sure I had a last glimpse of his face. I saw him among dad’s fans. I went in and put his picture on my mind. His deep brown eyes that turned hazel in the light, his naturally-tan skin, his small nose, his smile, and the way he captured my heart were all perfect.

We finally arrived in the mansion. As promised, there was a mall for my sister, my own personal kitchen, my mom’s office, and the music room. Bea was grounded for a week; the mall would be closed until then. “Kids, time to hit the sheets. First day of school tomorrow!” mom shouted. So Bea and I went up and as soon as I was sure that the coast was clear, I told her why I said that I was thankful. Not only did I meet my knight, I also got a good laugh at her reaction. She gave a hearty laugh and then we went off to our own rooms.

I reached the door of my room, excited of what it would look like. I opened it and was surprised to see my things in the exact locations as my old room back in L.A., except that this time I had two wardrobes, Lin’s and Addie’s. My bed was queen sized and quarter filled with pillows. My own Mac, iPod, flat-screen LED T.V., X-Box 360 and my favorite blue sofa were found at the west side of the room. And my study table and sketch pad were found in the upper-left corner of my bed.

I prepared my stuff for school and made sure I did not miss to bring anything. Then I jumped to bed and searched for a comfortable spot. I closed my eyes and saw Ralph’s face. I wore a smile as I drifted to sleep.