The Lovely Predator

" Serenity!" A familiar voice called from my right. My friend Mabel was running towards me with a big, cheesy grin.

" Hey, what's up?" I ask, closing up my gym locker.

" Is it true?" She asks, almost out of breath.

" What is?"

" That Madison and Mason are having the after-party at your house?!"

" Oh, yeah, that, right. Yeah we are, well, they are," I respond, dismissing the conversation with a swift hand movement as I walk out the locker room towards the gym.

She doesn't drop the subject, she catches up and just keeps talking, "Can I come?"

Of course she can! She's my best friend! "I don't know. . ." I joke, putting on a thoughtful expression, tapping my chin with my index finger.

" Please, Serenity. If you say yes, I won't ask you for anything else," she begs.

" Well, why do you really want to go? It's not like Ashton Kutcher or Chace Crawford are going to show up," I tell her.

" Seniors are going to be there! Seeing that your brother and sister are like the biggest one's here, there might be a lot of hot seniors too!"

" Fine! You can come, but if I see you drooling over any seniors, I'm steering away from you and won't talk to you 'til next year."

" Yay! Thank you!" She squeals, hugging me so tight I almost pass out.

Madison and Mason are my two older siblings. They're fraternal twins; hazel eyes and brunette hair. Both of them are on the top most popular at our school, which holds over 3500 students. My sister, Madison, is co-captain of the cheer leading squad and my brother, Mason, is in the basketball team. Both of them are seniors. They aren't cocky or stuck-up. They hang with everyone and don't judge anyone, which I admire them for.

As for me, I also have brunette hair, but my eyes are deep brown, unlike theirs. I'm the youngest, a sophomore in high school. They treat me like their sister at home and school. I'm not involved in any sport. I joined the Key Club if that counts. I'm just plain unnoticed. Not bullied, not following the crowd, not trying to follow them. I don't even blend in with the outcasts. I guess I'm just an outcast of the outcast, but I do have friends! Well, one friend and others I just speak to.

My parents are on a business trip for three weeks together in New Jersey. My brother and sister took it as the perfect opportunity to turn the house into a ravetorium for the seniors after-party after prom. I don't mind at all, I just want to stay locked in my room for the whole party. Madison says that's very anti-social and unhealthy. I don't know any seniors!

She bought me a knee-length, lilac dress and silver high-heels for prom, which they are forcing me to go to. I don't know who to go with and nobody has asked me, so I guess I'll just be ditched once I go there and lean on the far wall in the back with the nerds who were rejected.

After school, I decided to ride the bus with Mabel to go to her house. She said she wanted to 'show' me something, I didn't bother to ask what it was, since she won't tell me anyways.

" Okay, feast your eyes on this," she states, pulling out of her closet with a velvet dress. It was long on the back and short in the front.

" Oh my gosh. . ." I said breathlessly. I get up and walk up to the dress, the fabric was cool and silky when it made contact with my hands. "It's so beautiful. Where'd you get it!?"

" We went to Louisiana for the weekend. I saw this dress in size four and it was the last one, I just had to get it! I wasn't sure what to wear it for though. So, since I now have an occasion, I'm taking it to prom," she explained. She looped her arm around mine when she said ' I'm taking it to prom.'

" Um . . . Prom?"

" Yup," she pops the P and takes her dress back, posing with it in her mirror.

" W- Who asked you?" I asked, feeling happy for her, but at the same time I felt jealous.

" Ryan Smith," she announces, still admiring herself in the mirror.

" Oh," I say, sitting on her bed, letting the subject go. I don't know that guy, so I don't care.

" Are you going?"

" Yeah, but it's an obligation," I reply, moving my mouth to the side as a sign of disappointment.

" Ah, I see, well, I'm sure you'll have fun, don't worry," she sits next to me and gives me a big hug. " Look on the plus side, I'll be there, so we can have a dance together," we both burst out laughing. Mabel is a true blonde.

I got home at eight that night. Madison was in the living room, painting her nails and singing whatever song was on the stereo. I guess Mason was in his man-cave.

" Hey sis!" Madison calls as I walk in.

" Hey Madi, how are you?" I ask, walking over and sitting on the armchair across from her.

" Wonderful," she singsongs, not taking her eyes off her dark blue nail polish, " You?"

" Nervous," I respond, having a little bit of hope that she'll let me stay home for prom.

" Mm... Why?"

" Ya know, prom," I reply, playing with my thumbs.

" Oh, nobody asked you yet?" She asks, looking up at me as she blows on her fingernails.

" Nuh uh, so I don't think I should go. To save all the humiliation, which will affect you and Mason."

" You're still going!" Mason yells from the basement, causing Madison to laugh.

" Yeah, Serenity, you're still going. We don't want you to stay home all by yourself while we go and party," Madison says, closing the nail polish.

" But I like solitude!" I whine, following her to her bedroom.

She stops under her door frame, ready to close the door in my face anytime, " Serenity, you're going, and that's final," then she slams the door.

" Argh!" I scream murderously, stomping to the basement where Mason was like a four-year-old.

I must've looked childish just now.

" Mason," I whine, trying to put on a sad face, "can you please not make me go?"

" No," he states, not taking his eyes off the television.

" Oh c'mon- oh, do you know any Ryan Smith's?"

" Ryan Smith? Nope, never heard of any Ryan's at school. Why?"

" Just asking," I say backing up slowly to leave.

" Alright, don't do anything stupid," he says, looking at me suspiciously.

" 'Kay!" I shout as I ran back to Madison's room. "Hey, Madi!" I exclaim through the door.

" Hold on a sec," guess she's on the phone, " What?" She shouts back.

" Do you know any Ryan Smith's?"

" No!"

" Okay, later!" I shout, running back to my room. Was Mabel lying to me?

The next morning, Mason, Madison and I get out the car. Their usual friends/followers are waiting for them like always. I, like always, ignore them all and walk towards Mabel who is waiting for me by the staircase to the schools entrance. What could this girl be hiding?

" Hey, Mabel," I greet, with a giddy smile.

" Morning!" she exclaims as we walk up the stairs.

" So, where's this Ryan guy, I want to meet him and see if I approve," I aforementioned.

" Oh, yeah, he's not here today," she responds, sounding nervous.

I fake a gasp and put my hand on my chest for special effect, "Why not?"

" He said he's sick, he woke up with high fever."

" He's not real, is he?" I ask, with a dull, bored expression.

She puffs her chest and inhales deeply, ready to yell at me, then she lets it all go and says "No."

" I knew it! Why the hell would you lie?"

She doesn't respond. She just stares behind me with wide eyes and mouth wide open. I swear, I think I saw drool fall off her mouth.

" Mabel?" I push her shoulder. She budges, but doesn't take her eyes off whatever.

" Who's that guy over there?" She shamelessly points her finger, making it obvious that she was pointing at that certain person.

I turn around and see a guy standing in front of two guys and three girls. One of the guys were Mason. When the hell did he pass me up!? The guy had jet black hair and hazel-gray eyes, that seemed to pierce into your soul. Oh wow, I just sounded dark. He looked so. . . so. . .

" Gorgeous," Mabel gasped, interrupting my train of thought.

The guy looked at us and gave us a beautiful side smile, causing the other five to turn around and Mabel stopped breathing behind me. Mason looked at me and smiled as well, gesturing me to go over. Oh God, I don't want to go! I'm scared, nervous, I want to die! Okay, just go, say hi, say your name and leave, that's all, it's not so hard. Easier said than done. I walk over slowly, hearing Mabel's footsteps behind me. Thank God she's coming along.

Mason puts an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him and the group, " Serenity, this is Hayden Anderson. He just transferred here from?"

" Jefferson High School in San Antonio. Hi, nice to meet you, senior," Hayden says, putting a hand out for me to shake.

" Serenity Dover, sophomore," I say, forcing my voice out and putting my sweaty hand in his. He smiles at me awkwardly. Lord, I should've dried my hand!

" I'm Mabel Dawnson!" Mabel exclaims, pushing me over and getting in his face. He steps back and nods his head at her.

" Right, um, Serenity, get to class, and take your friend with you," Mason whispers, letting go of me.

" Okay, come on Mabel," I say, pulling her arm and power walking as far as we could from them.

" He smells so good!" She squeals.

" You're so weird," I say letting her go and slowing my pace.

" That's what makes me unique, right?"

" Eh, sure. . . What is he doing here?" I ask myself, audible enough for Mabel to hear.

" Whatchu mean?"

" I mean why would someone transfer school's after final exams and a few weeks before school ends?"

" Well, maybe his parents had business reasons to move and didn't he say he was a senior? Maybe they want him to graduate," Mabel explains.

" That's sad. Not being able to graduate with your friends. He has to graduate with people he just met."

" Well, we'll just have to make him love us, don't you think?"

" He's not graduating with us, Mabel," I say, opening the door to her and going in after into our World History class.

As soon as we get in we sit in our alphabetical seats, me behind this guy named Trent and Mabel in front of him. Childish right? Our teacher thought we were going to be a bad class, since we were loud on the first day, so she decided to put us in alphabetical order until the last day of school.

" Okay, class, school's almost over," Ms. James announces, the class cheers, " I will miss most of you, some of you I had to struggle with, but I still love you all." She lectured for at least thirty minutes and allowed us to speak the rest of the class period.

" You want to come over to my house after school?" I ask Mabel as she takes her chair to my desk.

" Sure, what for though?" She asks.

" You know, to chill, I have no homework and I get bored at home easily."

" Okay, I'll go, can I look at Mason's sexy ass while I'm at it?"

" Mabel! That's so gross, he's my brother!"

" So? He isn't mine!"

" Whatever, just don't stalk him around the house."

When we were in middle school, Mabel used to come over to my house often to see Mason. She used to follow him around the house and ask him so many questions that he once cried and begged her to leave him alone.

Mabel and I ride home with Mason and Madison. They speak about the after-party while Mabel and I listen to my iPod in the backseat. When we get home we both jump out the car and start heading towards the house when Mason calls us both.

" Blondie and Shortie!" He shouts behind us.

" Hey! I'm not short!" Mabel exclaims.

" I think you're Blondie, I'm Shortie," I explain.

" Oh," she replies silently, lifting up a blonde strand of her hair.

" What?" I ask, looking at Mason.

" Hayden's coming over," he says, my heart accelerates.

" So tidy the house up," Madison finishes as she walks up to stand next to Mason.

" Why is he coming over?" I ask, probably having the most neural expression on my face right now.

" He's cool, and I want to get to know him better. Let him have a good friend," Mason says, shrugging and walking past me and Mabel into the house.

" Plus, he's hott," Madison adds, with a wide smile, " and I want to get closer to him."

" That's a plus plus!" Mabel says, and they both laugh. I look at them in disbelief, not understanding what she just meant.

Am I the only one who's sane?