" You are coming to the party right?" Riley's bubbly voice inquired over the phone. Kiara frowned, trying for the life of her to understand which party her brunette friend was talking about. When it came to the upbeat and social Riley, you never could tell which party she was goading you into attending.
" Party? What party? Was I even invited?" The junior, soon to be a senior flopped backwards on her bed and rolled onto her stomach listening as her friend groaned and proceeded to chide her for not paying attention when they were making plans, and choosing who to invite.
" Come on Kia. The party's at Leah's place, seven sharp, so you have about half an hour and then some odd minutes to get ready. You've got to come, cause it'll be so much fun!"
" I don't know Riley, I've got to finish packing. We're moving in a few days, and I'm nowhere close to eliminating the traces of Kiara, and for the whole, we're not finished cleaning up Chez Li. Maybe next one-"
But Riley wasn't her best friend for nothing. She knew how to nudge Kiara her way. " Well, you could go to the next one, but I know for a fact that Tim will be there, though I can't guarantee it for the next one."
Sighing in a defeated manner, yet not quite able to wipe the smile from her face, Kiara acquiesced. " Okay, okay. I'll come. But you owe me Riley."
" I owe you nothing gal pal, but you owe me if you happen to get yourself a boyfriend." With that, she hung up, leaving Kiara to get ready. The Chinese girl dropped the phone onto its base, and let her eyes wander to her closet. After a bit of rifling, she produced a slim navy tank top with a silver dragon on it, and khaki clam-digger pants.
Kiara wasn't a fan of heavy make-up. Just a bit of eye shadow and lip gloss, and presto, she was done. Casually gathering her hair up into a high pony-tail she grabbed her keys from her dresser and dropped her cell phone into a pocket.
" Hey Mom? Dad? I'm going to a party, be back later, okay?"
Kiara waited for a reply, drumming her fingers on the railing of the stairs impatiently. Finally after what seemed like an eternity when it was only a minute, her mom answered.
" All right Kiara. You have fun. Remember to be back before eleven. Even though school isn't in yet, I still don't want you out too late." Her mom paused in the doorway, bubble wrap and tape in hand. They were still packing. Kiara felt a little guilty that she was leaving the work to them while she went to a party.
" Uh, if you want me to stay and help, I will." She said after a moment. Mei Li shook her head.
" No, go. Your father and I can take care of this ourselves. Just have a blast."
" Right."
Humming a cheery tune to herself, she hopped down the front steps, going over to her silver convertible. She was very proud of her car, and most of her friends, and the kids in both her school and the public school were envious.
Kiara knew the way to Leah's house like the back of her hand. Leah went to the public school, just like Kiara's other friends Shelli, Caitlyn, and Sam. Well, Sam wasn't the best of friends with Kiara, but she endured the girl and her wanna-be-popular motives.
Kiara had friends in both schools because she went to elementary and middle school with the kids at Silver Heights High, and was still popular among the student population even now, even though it had been quite a few years. Now she went to Catholic school, and she had acquired a large circle of friends there too.
" Kiara!" Leah threw open the door, releasing the wave of blasting music to the quieter world. Kiara could see the figures of countless teenagers behind the form of her old friend.
" Yeah, Riley bullied me into coming." She smiled gently, following Leah inside and shutting the door.
" Ah, she used TT, or more commonly known as the 'Tim technique'. " Leah's eyebrows twitched as her friend looked indignant.
" How does everyone seem to know my weakness?" Kiara demanded, brushing back a stray lock of dark hair in a flustered manner.
" Don't ask me." She held her arms up in a mock surrender. " But come on, you're missing the best song!"
Surprised, Kiara grinned and they both entered the living room.
Later on, she plopped down in a seat at the Dean's counter. Shelli and Teresa were already there getting themselves drinks. Riley popped up behind the chair.
" You made it!" She grinned, thumping Kiara on the back.
" Yeah, figures if you use Tim as a reason, Kia will come." Shelli rested her elbows on the counter, chin cupped in her hands. Her long blonde hair framed her narrow face. Kiara rolled her eyes in response.
" It's not like I'm the only one here just because a guy I like here is. What about Shelli and Jason?"
Her words brought a sheepish grin to Shelli's face.
" Can't argue with that." A faint blush rose to her cheeks as her eyes instinctively sought out a figure in the other room.
" Want a Coke?" Teresa offered, breaking the small silence.
Kiara shook her head, the silver hoop earrings she wore jangling merrily. " Nah, I like Sprite."
" Okay then." She slid a can over, and a glass after that.
" Who invited them?" Shelli asked, her face confused. Teresa looked up from pouring herself a drink.
" Who invited who?"
" Them over there." She nodded in the direction of the back of the room. They all turned to see what Shelli meant. A group of boys sat at the dining room table. The majority dressed like punks, a thing that didn't bode well with Sam.
"Eww! Eww! Eww! I can't believe they're like, invited here! Who did invite them in the first place? And it's like, so bad to be seen in the same room as them. They're the social outcasts!"
Kiara looked skeptical. " It's not that bad. Adam probably invited them. But you're wrong. They aren't social outcasts, no matter what you think Sam. And they're actually kind of cute."
Sam wrinkled her nose as if the thought was making her nauseous.
" Whatever."
Kiara tuned out of the rest of her friends' conversation, but she couldn't for long without being caught.
" Kia? Kiara? Hello, earth to Kia!"
" Huh?" She started, blinking quickly. Riley sighed and shrugged.
" You zoned GF. I bet you were dreaming of Tiiiiiiiimothy, weren't you."
Before Kiara could respond, a new voice cut in.
" Yeah? Did someone call my name?"
Whirling around, they saw none other that Tim himself! Kiara bit her lip for a moment before smiling.
" No one called you."
He scrutinized her before shrugging. " If you say so. Toss me a root beer would you? Please?"
Teresa nodded and took one out of the fridge. " Catch." She said in a strained voice. Tim deftly caught the flying can and smiled.
" I've got to hope this doesn't explode on me."
" Well you know where the paper towels are if it does." Kiara said brightly.
" Yup." He turned to go almost hesitantly, and the moment he left the room, all of Kiara's friends were verbally trouncing her.
" OMG! You let the opportunity of a lifetime slip through your fingers!"
" Chill would you? I did not."
" But you do so dig him Kia."
" Okay, so tell me something I don't already know." Kiara tilted her chin defiantly, and as she did so, something small hit her cheek. Hard. Startled she glanced around wildly for the source. Peals of laughter exploded from behind her, directing Kiara to her attacker.
Sliding off the chair she stooped a moment and retrieved the bouncy ball that had been thrown at her, and strode up to the bunch with the solemnity, gravity, and air of an ice queen.
" I believe this belongs to one of you." Kiara said frostily, smiling with satisfaction as their laughter evaporated upon seeing her. She was aware that there was a red round mark where the ball had contacted her face.
" Yeah, it's mine." A tall boy with spiked brown hair and green eyes that stood out with an almost cat-like quality held out his hand. He was quite good-looking, but quite annoying with his "I rule the world, and you know it" tone of voice.
Kiara dropped the red bouncy ball into his awaiting palm, taking great pains to give him a withering stare.
" Sorry 'bout that." He said after a moment, his smirk saying otherwise. " You just happened to get in the way."
" Yeah, uh-huh. I bet you were aiming for the sink, right? But obviously you're not sorry at all."
The boy tipped back in his chair, confident when surrounded by friends, and egged on by it. " Too true, too true. Where do you go to school?"
" St. Christopher's. I go to a catholic school."
" With those dorky skirts?"
" Yes with those kilts." Kiara corrected coldly.
The boy nudged his friends and grinned. " We got ourselves a little goody two shoes."
Kiara bristled. " Why does everyone thing that we're so damn good, and that we don't curse, and we don't do bad things because we're frickin perfect!"
" Well aren't you?" the kid taunted, folding his arms. Before Kiara could retort, Adam, Leah's twin brother, popped up next to her.
" Um-isn't this the happy gathering." He stated blankly, hesitating slightly at the sight of the two standoffish teens. " This is Andreas Dalton. And uh-this is Kiara Li."
" Thanks Adam." Andreas smiled, " Now I know who the Chinese Catholic school girl bitch is."
Kiara's anger flared, and felt a little hurt deep down inside. " And now I know who the frickin asshole of a bastard is."
Sourly she emptied the contents of the glass in her hand over Andreas' head, who cried out, surprised she would do such a thing.
Cursing, he shook his arms. Kiara then smiled sweetly at him.
" Go rot in hell Dalton."
With that she brushed by them, shoving the now liquid less glass into the hands of one of Andreas' friends who sat there with his mouth open.
" I'm off like a prom dress. Ciao!"
Andreas cursed again. Now he had to drive home dripping and sticky. No thanks to that stupid Kiara Li girl. He tried his best to mop himself up with a paper towel before decided that he should be going home.
" I hope that's the last time I have to see her." He said aloud angrily as he vigorously scrubbed his face. But inside he was looking forward to the next encounter with her because he was going to get even. He had started this way, and he was going to see it though till the end.
~* So what do ya think? I'd like some feedback! And just in case you wanted to know, the bouncy ball incident is actually a true event just tweaked a little bit. It was my friend that got into that scrape, and I was there too, so that just had to be put in. Expect that these two are going to be bickering for a long time, but it's quite amusing at times. L8er!*~