Alyssa Brandy has never been a run-of-the-mill type of girl. She's a diva and knows how to get her way. But even the strongest people can be broken.
In high school, she was hurt by the guy she thought she could trust. Now, in college, she's built...
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POV: Eden
During orientation, I feel a hole burning into the side of my head. She thinks she's slick, but I can see her watching me. Alyssa Brandy has a special place reserved in her cold heart for me.
The side of my lip tips upward and I look in her direction. Her eyes grow wide and she knows she's been caught. I toss her a wink and she returns the favor with a middle finger. I snicker at her and focus my attention back on the stage.
I don't remember when it happened, but Alyssa Brandy hates my guts. I've tried to be civil, but now we're beyond that point. We butt heads like two bulls and fight like cats and dogs.
She seems to do everything I want to do. Everywhere I go she goes. She's like a dog that's attached to me. But I'm not sure if I hate it or not. It's not so bad. I do enjoy the attention I get from her.
After the assembly Ace and I find our group of friends. "What's up, Eden?" Eli asks, giving me a handshake. The group greets me.
"Hi, Eden," Ella-Mae says batting her eyelashes at me. I nod in her direction. We dated for a solid year in high school until I came to the conclusion that there was nothing deeper than how great we looked together. I mean we looked like the perfect couple, but there was nothing deeper than that. I didn't have an emotional connection with her and the sexual attraction wasn't enough.
"Are you going to apply to be a part of the Freshman Committee this year?" Jack asks me.
"Of course," I say nodding my head. "I find out today if I made it or not."
Ace jumps into our conversation. "If you get in you better make the dances better."
I nod my head. "I've never been known to throw a bad party," I say, cooly.
"Is Alyssa applying too?" Ella-Mae asks. My attention pulls to her after Alyssa's name rolls off her tongue.
"I don't know, probably," I say casually. I don't want it to seem that I'm affected by the mention of her name.
"Yeah, she seems to copy a lot of the things you do," Ella-Mae adds. I look at her with an unamused expression.
"Yeah..." I say dryly. It feels almost wrong to say something poorly behind Alyssa's back. I don't owe her anything and she probably has said a lot of things about me. But I never said anything unless she was around. It's the banter we have together.
"She's obsessed with you I swear," she continues. A throat clears behind me.
Alyssa crosses her arms. "Obsessed?" She asks. I feel like I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar. I didn't say anything bad about her, but being caught in a conversation about her makes it seem like I did.
Ella-Mae runs her fingers through her blonde hair. "We were talking about something privately," she says trying to cover it up.
A fake smile grows on Alyssa's face. "How private could it be if you're saying it in front of a lot of people?" My spine straights. "Maybe you need to get your eyes checked and see that you're the only one obsessed." Our eyes lock for a moment and a frown appears on her face.
Arlo wraps his arm around her shoulder and I can't help but stare at the contact. "Let's get outta here. These people are lame anyway," he says quietly but not quiet enough. She nods in agreement and they leave.
I watch as she fades into the distance. "What the hell was that?" Ace asks. Ella-Mae just stands there with a red face. She's probably embarrassed about being called out.
Later in the day, people pile around the bulletin board. The results are in. Who will be on the Committee and a part of Highland's student council?
I read off the list of names. Alyssa's is at the top and mine is at the bottom. I look to my right to see her smirking at me. Another year of constant battles begins.
Who I am today wasn't easy to achieve. I started from the bottom. My parents weren't much help. They couldn't care less if I went to college. I'm here on a scholarship. I paved my way with good grades and my resume.
I have a secret. One that could ruin my whole reputation. My parents were hooked on drugs for a lot of my life. My little sister and I were drug babies. Luckily we're okay now.
I fear that if that information got out, people would look at me differently. Maybe they would look down upon me. Maybe they would pity me. Whatever it is, I don't want it. Right now I'm powerful and people look up to me. Would all that change if people knew the truth?
I push past the crowd to approach her. Her blue eyes watch me intensely. "Congratulations, Alyssa," I say, tilting my head.
She flips her dark hair over her shoulder. "Congratulations, Eden. Can't say I'm surprised though," she admits.
"Why do you say that?" I ask.
"Because I didn't expect any less. You know how to wiggle your way in." A laugh comes out of my throat and I smile down at her. A stunned expression appears on her face. "Don't do that," she says looking away.
"I'm not doing anything," I say grinning.
"Don't act friendly with me." She looks back up at me. "It doesn't suit you."
"I'll see you at home," I say before I walk off. I can feel the heat radiating off of her.
I'd like to say that I hate Alyssa, but I don't. I can't bring myself to hate her. There's something about her. I can't quite put my finger on it.
