Your mom wanted a new start. Your dad, recently fired from his job, hesitated to agree. He liked the small town you all lived in. Everyone knew everyone. Prices were cheaper. The local highschool had few kids, making it easy for students to socialize and teachers to recognize students. A little too well.

News had spread that a teacher was in a secret, disgustingly intimate relationship with a student. The teacher was around his 40s, and the student was a senior. When the teacher’s identity was revealed, your mom had no waste on packing bags and checking airplane ticket prices. And then, of course, your dad was fired from his job.

During those late nights, when you were scrolling on your phone, you could hear them arguing. Over the next few weeks, the raised voices became quieter, quieter—until the news was brought to you at the dining table.

“We’re moving.”

You knew it was coming. You had a flurry of emotions, but you didn’t know which one was the biggest. Your opinion on the subject wasn’t heard, anyway. Instead of flying to another state, you drove for the next two days.

To California.

⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱᐧ.˳˳.⋅ ⋅.˳˳.⋅ॱ˙˙ॱ⋅.

Thunk!

Sheepishly, you looked around at the crowded hallway. Nobody had reacted to the loud slam of your locker. Well, except for the couple that had been making out. They glared, hands still pressed up on each other. Body relaxing, you ignored the stares and went off to lunch.

This highschool was huge. There were at least two dozen clubs, all ran by students. Some friendly, some not. People shoved past you and didn’t excuse themselves. Every day, you heard a new rumor. Half of it was because you were quiet, always watching. The other half was because of who you sat with. You knew you’d have to make friends at some point! It just so happened that they had came up to you first.

Getting your lunch, you slid onto the lunch bench, greeting Amina, Kat, and Stephanie, all busy fixing their appearance. You knew them as friends. Other people knew them as the prettiest, manipulative, and often times most backstabbing bitches in the entire school.

The Popular Girls.