Clarisse

Chapter One

I had a friend betray me once.

       Well, he was not a friend but more of an annoying acquaintance. The kind of annoying acquaintance that has to be the teacher's pet and follow all of the rules of authority. A real bore if you ask me.

      His name? Paxton Reese Copeland.

      I have no idea where his parents had messed up, but they knew they had messed up not long after he was born. Why else would they have felt the need to make him a middle child?

       His brother, Nash, is the type to break practically every rule in the rule book and smooth talk his way out. Rae Lynn, his sister, is the baby of the family. I have witnessed first hand just how fierce she can be with standing her ground. Both are completely opposite of Paxton.

        How was I betrayed by Paxton Reese Copeland?

         He wrote a whole letter to our principal snitching on me for stealing the bucket of dry ice from the chemistry lab. I really wanted to see how the dry ice would react when placed in water, but Paxton just would not budge. Out of all the reasons I gave him for scientific discovery, he decided to not be a doormat for a change.

         So, naturally, I have to get rid of the evidence as soon as possible. And what better way to get rid of the evidence than at eleven o'clock on a school night?

        "Risse, I swear to Mother Nature, I am going to dunk your socks and shoes in the pool." Georgia, my equivalent to Paxton, hisses into my ear.

       "You were supposed to stay in the car," I hiss right back.

        Our game plan was that I break into the school and Georgia waits two blocks away in the getaway car. Noah, our not so little brother, was supposed to be keeping lookout for any signs of the cops. I have picked many locks before and picking the lock on Paxton's locker is a piece of cake.

         Sure, I know Paxton's locker combination by heart, all thanks to Nash, but I might as well have a little fun tonight. At least, I was having fun up until Georgia decided to abandon our original plan.

        "I can't just stay in the car when my older sister is being an idiot and dragging our little brother into her mess!" The passive aggressive anxiousness in her voice is slowly starting to get on my nerves.

         I could have had this locker opened ten minutes ago, but Georgia has yet to shut her trap.

         "Shut up, Georgie," pausing with the bobby-pin in the lock, I turn my head to the side to stare directly at her.

        I want her to see just how annoyed I am by her persistent pestering. "We could have been home safe and sound eons ago, had you just stuck with the plan. Now you won't shut up, and it's preventing me from getting in and out in a timely manner!"

         Looking a bit taken aback by my sudden outburst, Georgia opens her mouth and shuts it closed again. All she can manage is a disappointed shake of her head and turns to finally leave me in peace.

        I turn my attention back to the locker and start to jiggle the bobby-pin around. The sound of the locker clicking and slowly creaking open sets off my excitement. I cannot believe this is actually going to go my way! Nothing can stop Clarisse Eleanor Messer from getting rid of evidence not even...

"Drop the bucket and put your hands in the air where I can see them!" An authoritative voice booms from behind me.

       Yeah, dropping this bucket is the last action an intellectual person would want to take. Not that I claim to be one of those people; I barely get by with a C average each grading period.