Little Miss Popular

~1~

•TESLA•

With great wealth came hierarchy, and with hierarchy came popularity, and popularity is all you need to succeed in life.  At least that's what my father would say when my mother would scold him for spoiling me. 

My family is rather average, really, other than the fact that we have more money than anyone in the school district.  I think that's why my father chose Kingsville as our permanent hometown.  He did his share of research on the wealthiest person of each district and county, before settling with Kingsville and making Betti Lee's father his greatest competition and friend.  You know what they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer.  I think that's what he told himself when he and Betti's father practically forced our friendship in the second grade. 

Betti and I got along well, but I think it was clear we both knew we weren't soul mates of best friends, but more just the regular kind of best friends.  The kind that would hang out on the weekends and help each other out when we needed it, but she had her separate set of friends and I had mine.  Well, kind of. 

I pulled myself out of my thoughts as my car wheeled up to the gate of my long driveway and I stuck my hand out the window, pressing the page button on the security device. 

"Tesla O'Connor." I spoke into the speaker.

A click sounded through the air as the gate opened and I gently pressed the gas pedal, easing my white convertible Maserati forward toward the house.

It was nice day out, and a Friday at that, but I certainly wouldn't be enjoying it. Instead I'd spend my day cooped up inside of this mansion of a house. Calling it a mansion was an over exaggeration, but it was definitely big. The biggest in the county, as my father would tell anyone who so much as looked at it.

I sighed as I parked in the garage and made my way into the house.

"I'm home." I called out to whoever was listening.

As if on cue, I heard the loud clicks of my mother's heels as she sped walked towards me.

"Hey Tess, how was your day?" She asked as she struggled to put in her earrings, clearly in a hurry.

"It was alright, just wish I could go out with Betti and Julie tonight instead of being stuck here for this stupid business party." I whined as I tossed my bag on the floor by the kitchen counter and pulled myself up onto a bar stool.

"I know honey, but this is important to your father." My mom tried to reason with me. "Besides, I heard Sebastian Peres would be there with his family; you two get along well."

I grinned out of embarrassment. Sebastian Peres is this handsome guy from the next town over. His parents run a car shop over on the bad side of my town, Kingsville, and happen to be pretty loaded from it. Not that I care about their money, I have my own. Well, my family does at least, and more of it, last time I checked. I just think he's an interesting guy.

It wasn't long before my father came home and soon enough, the guests followed in suit, including Sebastian Peres.

I froze as his family approached mine.

"Good afternoon," my mother greeted them first.

I didn't hear a single word they said after that, because I was too busy gawking over Sebastian. Gosh he was gorgeous.

"Hi Sebastian," I grinned from ear to ear as I spoke his name. "How are you?"

"I am great, want to go get something to drink with me?" He asked, also grinning.

I simply nodded and followed him over to the table with all the food and drinks.

"I haven't seen you in a month or two." Sebastian stated as he intertwined his hand with my own.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention we're kind of a thing, but also not really. It's complicated.

"We've both been busy." I shrugged, not thinking too hard about it.

He handed me a cup of fruit punch before pouring himself a glass of wine. I sometimes forget that I'm only 18 and he's 21.

"Did you hear the news?" Sebastian changed the subject.  "My father might be buying out some dinkey car shop over on the side of town he's got his shop on to add on to business." 

So maybe that's what this party was all about.

"I heard it's some poor kid that goes to your school and his father that own and run the place. I also heard they aren't doing too well in the business aspect." He joked, which I wasn't sure how I felt about.

There was then a sudden but soft knock at the door, quieting the party as everyone turned their heads in the direction of the door. My father quickly made his way over there and opened it with a smile.

"Good afternoon Mister Hayes," my father greeted, then extended his hand to someone I could not see.  "And you must be Benjamin." 

Benjamin?  I did not know a Benjamin, I thought Sebastian said this kid went to my school? 

My doubts were quickly put to sleep when a familiar tall young man stepped into the house beside his father. 

His eyes were a lonely forest green and his hair a neatly groomed dark brown.  If it wasn't for his tall figure and gloomy eyes, I probably wouldn't have recognized him. 

It was Benji Hayes, the freak of Kingsville High School.

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AUTHORS NOTE

Thank you to everyone who's reading, I appreciate it so much. I've been working on this story for a while, just haven't gotten much written out.

If you're here because of Night Terrors, then I hope this one is just as entertaining for you. I love reading your guys' comments, so go crazy, and don't forget to vote(; let's see where this story goes haha