Edge of Seventeen: Steven Hyde/OC

fifteen.

"Keep your hands steady on the wheel and watch the road," Eric was instructing his twin from the passenger seat as she drove to school the following Monday. "But don't forget to check your mirrors."

    Ree whipped her head back and forth rapidly from her rearview mirror to the road. "How am I supposed to keep my eyes on the road if I have to check my mirrors?" She asked, frantically.

    "Just glance every so often." The Vista Cruiser began to approach a large hole in the road. "Okay, and, uh, watch out for this pothole," he warned.

    "The what?" Ree shot Eric a panicked look before the cruiser rammed into the pothole at full speed, bouncing its occupants roughly. Eric and Ree let out twin screams, before Ree began to veer towards the sidewalk.

    "Turn the wheel!" Her brother yelled, yanking the steering wheel in the opposite direction. The car swerved back into its lane, straightening out again. Ree let out a sigh of relief, though her hands still gripped the steering wheel so hard her knuckles were beginning to turn white.

    Thankfully, Ree could see Point Place High School coming up ahead. With Eric's instruction she carefully pulled the cruiser into a parking spot, parking it almost diagonally, though still between the yellow lines. Breathing heavily from their near-death experience, Ree closed her eyes and let out a harsh huff.

"I'm never getting my license," she said with a frown and, to her horror, with tears beginning to prickle in the corners of her eyes.

Eric was silent for a moment. "Yeah," he eventually agreed with a small shrug of his shoulder.

Ree sent him a sharp look before slapping said shoulder. "You're supposed to say -" she put on a dramatically high-pitched voice, "no, don't worry, Ree, you'll get better."

"I don't talk like that!"

"In my head you do."

The twins soon exited the cruiser and walked into the school side by side. As soon as Ree walked through the doors she knew something was wrong. She could feel dozens of eyes on her, just as she had on Friday night. Heart beginning to race, Ree began walking faster, leaving Eric behind as he went off towards his own locker. Whispers, stares, and even some dirty looks followed Ree down the hallway. She bit down on her lower lip. What was wrong? Why were people whispering and staring at her? What had she done to garner this much attention?

Usually Ree was able to fly under the radar. She kept to herself, mostly, and she liked it that way. She never had major problems that way. Well, besides boy problems, of course.

Getting to her locker in record time, Ree turned pointedly away from her gossiping classmates, rummaging through her locker aimlessly. Two girls walked behind Ree, talking animatedly with one another.

"She did?" One of them was saying.

"Yep, with both of them!"

"Wow, what a slut."

Ree bit down harder on her lip at this. There was no way they were talking about her, right? She definitely hadn't done anything slutty. Grabbing her Geometry textbook, Ree slammed her locker shut and practically ran to find Donna. Thankfully, the redhead was just down the hall, rummaging through her own locker.

"Donna," Ree whispered, frantically, as she approached her best friend. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced over her shoulder, only to be met with more looks and whispers.

"Ree, what's wrong?" Donna asked, furrowing her brows.

"Everyone's staring," she hissed, trying to keep her voice down. "And, I don't know, they're whispering about me." She rubbed her clammy hands on her jeans as she glanced around again.