Bad Girls

Chapter Three

I APPRECIATE THESE things in my life:

First, glamorous fashion; second, delectable foods; lastly, the three Jerald siblings— Wesley, William, and Winnie.

These triplets were like every cliché story's triple threats. The only difference was that one of them was a girl, but that didn't mean that there was any difference in their reputation. Growing up with Wesley came with the package of knowing his siblings, William and Winnie, as well.

They weren't identical triplets; that's for sure. While Wes had brown hair and simple brown eyes, both Will and Winnie looked like angels sent down straight from the heavens above. They had hair that looked as if they were spun from golden sunlight and eyes that would pierce through your soul. From what I remember, they looked more alike and Wesley had always been the black sheep among the three of them. He didn't, even for one bit, look like Will and Winnie's twin brother.

As far as I know, Winnie had been a heartbreaker starting at a tender age. Even as a child she knew the exact angle in which her hair would catch the sun's glow and how to make her eyes sparkle in order to capture any boy's attention. When asked why was it that she tried so hard to gain the affection of boys around her, Winnie would always simply smile.

Her words as I remembered were, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

I remember that my dad would drive us four to school, and when we were in school, we would meet up with Blake. At first, I was closest to Wesley out of all of them, but it was only natural for me to drift more toward Blake after Wesley's disappearance along with the rest of his family.

Even back when we were mere children, Winnie Jerald was a sight for sore eyes. She would always wear those cute little dresses to school, and I could recall every single boy basically falling over just to lend her their crayons when she asked. She didn't even need to ask for them to willingly rush over and help her, desperate for her attention. They hung onto her every last word, eyes always following every single one of her movements.

It had always been a wonder to me how Winnie Jerald gained such an insane fanclub from such a young age. Whenever I hung out around her, I would feel like the ugliest person on earth, even when we were basically toddlers. It's just plain fact that I was an ordinary kid while Winnie looked stunning as if she came out straight from a child fashion magazine.

I hadn't been very close to William from what I remember. He had glasses from a young age and always carried a book with him no matter where he went. However, that didn't stop girls from flooding towards wherever he went. He was mainly shy, but he was an overall generally sweet guy. Among the three of them, he was the sensible one. While Wesley and Winnie caused chaos around every household they stayed at, William would just tuck himself in one corner with a book in his hands.

That didn't mean he was a nerd, though.

When I met them again on a Friday night, I could hardly even recognize them. Will had ditched his glasses, making his blue eyes stand out even more, while Winnie looked like a Victoria's Secret model. I was supposed to be asleep when I heard stones pelting against my window. When I peered out, you can already imagine how shocked I had looked when I noticed three stunning idiots standing just below my balcony, hissing out my name just to catch my attention. I felt as if I was in a twisted version of Romeo and Juliet.

Only I had three Romeos.

And one of them was a girl.

"What are you people doing in the middle of the night?" I grumbled, pulling my lavender hair out of my face.

"Wow, Wes. I thought you were lying when you said that Miss Uptight, Avery Chase, became a purple unicorn." The blonde grinned with her arms crossed over her chest.

"It's not like you're any better." William shoved his sister slightly, which only gained him a scowl from her.

"Bunch of idiots," Wesley grumbled, stepping closer to the balcony. "Jump down, princess. Dress warmly." Grinning, he gave me a suggestive wink, and I scowled and pulled my silky nightgown higher up my chest.

After turning back into the room and shutting the curtains, I shrugged off my soft outfit and slipped on a dark purple sweatshirt and faux leather leggings with a pair of black Vans. I stepped out to the balcony once more, slipped one leg over the railing, followed by the other, and jumped.

My room wasn't that high up, only on the second floor. The soft grass cushioned my impact when I jumped down, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

"You could have used the front door." Will laughed ever so vibrantly when I grimaced in pain.

"I didn't want to risk waking up my dad." I scowled at him, and Winnie laughed. "It's already bad enough that I have three strangers right outside my bedroom window in the dead of night."

"Strangers? I'm offended." William pouted, placing a hand on his chest as he blinked.

"Come on, unicorn. We have a particular ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend to destroy tonight." Winnie giggled, placing her arm over my shoulder, and dragged me out of my lawn and toward a red pickup truck. Her long blonde hair flew gently against the wind, a skip in her step as the two boys followed behind us.

***

"That will be $156.70," the cashier grumbled in a bored tone, chewing her gum noisily and not even looking up from her phone.

"Thanks." William grinned, smiling so damn brightly at the girl manning the cashier when she looked up upon hearing his voice. Her jaw dropped when her gaze landed on William, which only earned a laugh from both me and Winnie and a scowl from Wesley.

"We're running late, playboy. Sun's going to be up in a few short hours," Wesley grumbled, handing the cashier the money, and grabbed William by his collar, dragging him out of the supermarket. "Keep the change," he shouted behind over his shoulder at the cashier.

Still shaking with laughter, Winnie and I carried our purchases, following the guys back into the red truck. "So, what are we doing? I asked once we all settled inside the vehicle.

"I told you, unicorn. We are going to take revenge on a nasty ex-boyfriend. And our poor unfortunate victim will be our childhood best friend." Winnie snapped her fingers, a satisfied grin hanging from her lips as she glanced at me from the front seat.

From the driver's seat, Wesley shook his head lightly, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and carefully maneuvered the truck out of the parking lot. "Winnie, you are going to get us arrested by the police again."

When I looked at Winnie questioningly, the blonde cleverly evaded my gaze by turning back to face the front. William, however, started to chortle from his position. "She was arrested when we were in New York for vandalism. Her girlfriend had cheated on her with a college frat kid, and she decided to repay the debt by making out with the guy in front of her ex-girlfriend. Then she proceeded to spray very explicit graffiti all over the poor girl's living room wall. It was the most amusing thing out of our ten years out of California."

I let out a low whistle and shook my head in disbelief as I laughed. "That was bold."

"But it was also fun. Jennifer deserved it, that bitch. Though I'll admit, her new boyfriend was much more entertaining. Pity I can't remember his name, though." She shrugged. "Nevertheless, this trip is going to be fun too, and we're not going to be arrested, I can assure you."