The Next Step - The List

Monday - Riley

Chapter 1 -

Riley's parents dropped her and her older sister, Emily, off here what feels like hours ago, because Emily has some cheerleading practice thing.
This morning, Riley proudly put on a new t-shirt that she'd bought from the mall with her mom at the weekend. It had ballet shoes printed on the front, Riley's passion was dance. And before breakfast, Riley had asked Emily to tie her a bun at the top of her head, just like all the professional ballerinas do. Riley was hopeless with her hair and struggled even with the simplest hairstyles.
"No. No. No." Emily had replied whilst applying her last layer of lipgloss. "This would look much better..."
Emily whizzed around their shared bedroom as she found Riley a new outfit to wear, a sky blue top that matched her sparkling blue eyes and then Emily did her hair in an up-twist, which was a much more sophisticated hairstyle. Riley looked a lot better, good job Emily was there to help. But, Emily was secretly jealous of her sister. Riley was naturally pretty with her glossy brown hair, clear tanned skin and sparkling blue eyes. Riley didn't even need to wear make up to look flawless. But everyday Emily masked herself in a thick layer of foundation and applied layers upon layers of lipgloss. She would get ready for hours and still not look nearly as pretty as Riley. Riley didn't even have to try. But Emily was popular. Which was all she needed.

"Did you show Emily my homecoming dress? Does she think it's too formal?" Giselle questions her best friend Riley as they huddle around her locker. Riley throws one arm around Giselle and pulls her in for a hug.
"My sister said its perfect! Pretty and fun but not trying too hard."
Giselle sighs in relief at having received Emilys approval. Giselle used to be apart of Emily's group of best friends who are known as the E-girls. They'd been best friends since they were four but Giselle got held back a year and ever since then she's been trying endlessly to still remain in the E-girls with her friends. However, it proved very difficult by being a year behind and so far her efforts have failed and she's drifted from Emily and the other girls massively. But what better way to get back to Emily through Riley? Riley was also part of the "E-girls" the most popular girls in the school and she's still a Sophomore like Giselle. If Riley can do it, why can't she?
"Did you finish the Earth Science worksheet?" Giselle gulps.
Riley makes a frowny face. "Giselle, you cant keep copying my homework! You're never going to learn anything."
"Pretty please." Giselle begs.
"Fine." Riley huffs and yanks open her locker. She pulls out the nearest piece of paper that lies in her cluttered locker and she hands it to Giselle.
"Love you like a sis!" Giselle smiles and opens the folded piece of paper. But it was not what she expected at all. She gasps. Her eyes burn through the paper as she reads its contents.
"What?" Riley laughs and attempts to snatch the piece of paper back.
Giselle blinks hard. She can't believe it. She can't let anyone see her like this so she runs off towards the girls toilets. "That's odd. My homework's never made anyone cry before." Riley mutters and she looks at the sheet herself. She opens her mouth in shock.
"Riley!" Tiffany squeals, her braces twinkling in a proud smile. "You're on the list!"
"I don't understand..." Riley stutters.
"You're on the list dummy. The list! Emily's on it again too..." She babbles stealing the sheet and starting to read it aloud. Suddenly, Tiffany stops.
"What? It can't be that much of a surprise that my sisters the prettiest two times in a row." Riley sighs.
"She's the ugliest." Tiffany blurts.
"Hang on, whats the list?" Chloe asks, who joins the conversation. Chloe is the latest addition to the E-girls. She's Giselle's replacement but Riley can't bare to tell Giselle that. The truth.
As Tiffany fills Chloe in, Riley nods along, pretending she isn't as clueless. Of course Riley knew what the list was, but she'd never paid any attention to it before. And she definitely didn't imagine her name to ever be on it. She'd heard Emily's never ending boasting last year that she'd got prettiest Sophomores. But now Riley had it?
Suddenly, Riley starts bouncing up and down and sharing congratulatory hugs. It is a strange, foreign place to her. Emily is always at the top of the pack, not Riley.
"If Emily got the ugliest, who got the prettiest?" Riley gulps and shares concerned glances with Tiffany and Chloe.
"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!" Stephanie shouts and she stomps up to them. "This is bull." And she shoves another copy of the list into Tiffany's hands. "Emily is going to be fuming. How has this happened?" They all study the list again.