The Roseview High Rumors

CHAPTER ONE - Augusta

Augusta rolled her eyes and sighed as she walked in on her mother's breathing for healing class. "This is what I get for coming home early and passing through an outdoor session," she grumbled.

Why did she have to lose her house keys on a Monday, and why the heck did people need to be taught how to breathe? Augusta avoided them and their field next door like the plague, but she could climb into her yard from there.

"Hi, August."

"How was school, sweetie?"

Different scantily clad people sprawled in all kinds of positions on the lawn called out to her in a cheerful chorus. Augusta kept walking and quickened her pace with mumbled, generic replies.

"Yeah. Fine. Great," she huffed.

As usual, Augusta said school was nice but it wasn't. One of the mean girls tripped her in the Chemistry lab, and she banged her arm on a stool when she fell. It still hurt like hell and she didn't want to wound her eyes with anyone's random junk or wobbly bits.

She overheard one of them talking about how kids grow so fast, and how she remembered when her kid was a high school senior too. "College bells are ringing. Augusta's gonna leave Roseview, Texas behind," the woman said.

Damn right, Augusta thought.

Augusta rushed upstairs to the bathroom, and checked the first aid box for an ointment to rub on her arm. She rolled her eyes again and pinched the bridge of her nose when she couldn't find one. There were jars of beeswax and honey but no freaking muscle rub. After pushing aside several pine, rose water and sandalwood scented bottles, she gave up.

"Ugh!" She stormed into her room and locked the door. No one ever stepped out of their boundaries, but she valued her privacy.

"It's just another Manic Monday," Augusta grumbled as she flung herself on the bed.

Her stomach grumbled in protest when she bounced on impact. It reminded her that she forgot to eat lunch after dodging a pack of cafeteria bullies. They were the kind of jerks who put 'brainiac' notes on her back and tipped her food trays. Before Augusta could step out to get something to eat, her only friend, Priyanka called her cell phone.

"Hello! Guess what?" Priyanka gushed as soon as Augusta responded.

"You won the lottery?"

"No."

"You're now on a reality show?"

"No."

"Damn it, Priya. Just tell me," Augusta groaned.

"Principal Morgan posted a notice about peer educator slots for brilliant students. Let's do it, he promised certificates and letters of recommendations for our college applications."

Augusta was silent. She wasn't much of a people person, but a boost to her Princeton application would be advantageous. Her grades were flawless, but the competition to get into an Ivy League university was insane.

That being said, it was Mechanical Engineering at Princeton or nothing for Augusta. She hoped going the extra mile in school would pay off.

"Say something, girl," Priyanka urged.

Augusta put her cell on speaker phone and changed out of her clothes as she responded. "Um, I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Err, about that-" Priyanka's voice trailed off.

Augusta froze mid step into her track pants. "What about it?" she asked.

"Mr Morgan might have, kinda said..."