The Incomparable Edie Wells

“Okay, Edie,” Maggie says slowly, her back facing me as she digs through my closet. “As far as anyone knows, Levi Smith has always been, and always will be, number seven on the List.” She turns around quickly, with a pale pink top in her hand. “Do you follow?”

“Not really,” Parker mutters from where he's lying on my bed, his arm thrown over his eyes – which are free of his standard silver glasses for the first time in years. Apparently his mother made him get contacts, since she saw an article that mentioned that he probably wouldn't lose an eye if he did. Besides, he's been asking for them for a while, since his glasses aren't exactly what I'd call chic. Geek chic.

I never really noticed how pretty his eyes are. They're this pale, almost sea foam green color that you can only really get naturally...Is that weird? To think your friend's got pretty eyes?

Well, they're not as pretty as Levi's,I tell myself firmly, averting my gaze from Parker. Levi has those dreamy, chocolatey ones that you've dreamt about for years. Remember? The ones with violet in them? Purple is your favorite color, remember?

“Edie!” Maggie scolds, waving her hand in front of my face. I blink up at her innocently. “Stop daydreaming. This is important.” I roll my eyes.

Parker just huffs. “I still don't think this is a good idea. Edie's just going to get hurt, Maggie, and you know it.”

As much as I kind of hate to admit it, I think Parker's right. Maybe we shouldn't be messing around with the List, you know? It's stupid. I mean, who cares how popular I am, right?

Maggie just looks at him like he's crazy. “Way to be supportive, Parker.”

But I'm beyond listening to the two of them. My mind's filling up with all sorts of concerns, from the way my hair looks to what the heck I'm going to tell people when they ask what happened to me and why I changed. I'm not usually the kind of person who obsesses over every single little detail I've changed, hoping someone will notice, but I am human. Part of me wishes that someone will notice that my hair's just a little lighter or that my clothes are just a little cooler.

“...And I think maybe she should get a tattoo,” Maggie finishes in a definate voice.

“WHAT?!” Parker and I both yell, my eyes swelling to the size of softballs as I shoot up from the bed. “Over my dead body!” I add for good measure, just to make sure she gets the point. There is no way in hell I'm letting anyone get that close to me with a needle. Not since Parker had to get his blood drawn a few years ago and it ended up all over the room. I shudder at the memory.

Maggie rolls her eyes. “Come on, Edie. You can't honestly tell me you're still scared of needles.”

“I can to!” I protest, crossing my arms over my chest, “You're lucky my ears are pierced.”

She shoots Parker a glance that clearly states that she thinks I'm crazy, but I don't say anything. Mostly because I already know that, but mostly because at that moment, way off, I hear the front door slam. My eyes widen in fear, since Riley and Dad are working, which means only one thing.

Rhett's home.

Now, okay, I've already established that Rhett's not a terrible person in general. He's actually a pretty cool older brother when no one else is around. It's just that he has this... appendage, if you will, that irritates the hell out of me.

Her name's Anna.

With her jet black hair and her heavily made-up blue eyes, she's only about a seventy on the List, but that's enough to catch Rhett's attention. They've been going out for about seven months, and in that time she's managed to make my home life a living hell. She's got my stepbrother wrapped around her little finger. She'll snap him at any second. Like a twig.

I've tried to tell him that, but he doesn't believe me. He believes her. Which I suppose I can understand, to a certain extent, but it still frustrates me that he'll trust that... that witch over his own stepsister.

I hear a high-pitched giggle from downstairs, and I can almost feel my heart rate rise a little. “Maggie, shut the door,” I hiss, since she's the closest to it.

But she doesn't. Instead, she just smirks sheepishly. “Edie, how are you going to become popular if you never stand up to one?”

My eyes widen in surprise as her words sink in. “Are you nuts?! I can't stand up to Anna Smith! She'll turn me into a frog!” I protest somewhat childishly, while Parker snorts unattractively.

“You watch too many movies,” she mutters, walking into my surprisingly roomy closet and shutting the door. “Look, I'll be right here if you need me. But I don't want Anna to know I'm here, got it?” She glances at Parker nervously just as footsteps start to pound up the stairs, heading towards my doorway. “Parker, take off your shirt.”

He looks at her, confused and appalled. “What?! I mean, I – what –“

But he never gets to finish his sentence, because at that moment, Anna and Rhett pass by my door frame, running quickly enough that I have a good idea why they're at the house but slow enough to recognize Anna's standard trick: catching me when I'm off guard.

Her wicked smirk stretches slowly across her face, something my delusional brother fails to notice. “Starting the hookups early in the year, huh Wells?” she sneers, trying to sound innocent. I know for a fact she's not. “Good idea, but you're missing a tiny detail.”

I wait for her to continue, though I know I'm going to regret it. When she continues to stare at me with that catlike smirk, I give in. “What's that?” I ask in a cold, metallic sounding voice, already dreading the answer.

“The guy's gotta be somebody. No one cares if it's just some loser.”

So, I have this policy. I don't usually care what Anna says about me, because I tend to just block her out and pretend she's a spider or something and squash her. As far as I'm concerned, Rhett can do whatever he wants, so long as I'm out of earshot. But when she insults one of my friends, then I get mad.

I rolled my eyes. “Tell me, then. Why is Rhett hooking up with you?”

Instead of being a witty comeback, like it sounded in my head, the statement just sounded childish. Exactly what I was hoping it wouldn't.

Anna just seems amused. “Well, because I'm the best, Edie. Keep that in mind.”

I wrinkle my nose slightly at her, thinking of how to get out of this. I think back to what I saw a few days ago out side of school, but was too afraid to tell Rhett. He's actually really sensitive under the I'm-a-macho-man exterior, and I know it'll kill him.

“So, does that mean that Alex Benson thinks you're the best, too?” I ask lightly, “'Cause I'd be happy to tell Rhett about it.”

Her perfectly made-up face falls. “You wouldn't,” she hisses in her usual confident tone, but this time I can sense just a little bit of doubt behind her words. She doesn't really believe them. And that just gives me the extra little boost I need.

I raise my eyebrows. “I wouldn't? Are you sure?” When she stays silent, I keep talking, because I know if I don't say this now, I'm screwed. “I don't know what my brother sees in you, and I don't care. But if you ever call Parker a loser again, I will make you regret it.”

Her eyes narrow to charcoal slits. “What makes you think I'm going to listen to you?”

I just smirk. “Hey, Rhett!”

Anna's eyes widen again as my stepbrother waltzes over, his shirt having mysteriously vanished in the last thirty seconds. I don't bother asking why, mostly because I don't want to be scarred for life with that mental image.

“What, Eds?” he asks, sounding slightly annoyed.

“Anna-”

“Needs to go home,” she cuts me off, even going so far as to physically put herself between Rhett and me. “Yeah. Um, my mom just called and said she wants me home.” She gives him a chaste kiss on the cheek before darting down the hallway.

I imagine if she was a dog, her tail would be between her legs.

Once Rhett walks off, dazed, Maggie jumps out from the closet, her mouth agape and her hair messed up from my clothing. “I can't believe you actually did that!” she whispers hoarsely. “I mean, I figured hooking up with Parker would create enough buzz, but this – holy crap, Edie – this is amazing!”

But I'm not listening to her. The only thing I can focus on his Parker grabbing his discarded shirt, balling it up in his fist, and stalking out of the room with the most upset expression on his face that I'd ever seen. And I was the one that was with him when he found out his dog had eaten his Princess Leia action figure.

“Park!” I call after him, but he doesn't hear me.

Either that, or he doesn't want to.