Chapter One- Victoria

I pull my sweatshirt down over my head, and fix my hair accordingly. Take a deep breath. Breathe, Genevieve, breathe. I look at my self in the mirror, a short, small framed, blue eyed, blonde haired girl stares back. I don’t know her. I see her soul and not her appearance. I see every tear those blue eyes have cried. The strength hidden deep within my petite body, through my arms and my back, my core and my legs.
“Geni honey, hurry up!” my mom nags me from the bottom of the stairs.
“Whatever...” I mumble back. I grab my tote bag filled with homework I haven’t done in several weeks. Another day at Central Meymont High School, another day of my life I’ll never get back.
The car ride to Central lasts 4 minutes and 27 seconds, and that’s 4 minutes and 27 seconds too long if you ask me. You’ll figure out that that’s my way of thinking for just about everything. My music is screaming in my ears so I can’t hear my mom until she taps me on the shoulder, “Geni! Are you listening to me?”
I remove my left ear bud closest to her, “Huh?”
“Genevieve,” she pauses. “Honestly.”
“What?”
“Don’t get into any trouble, okay? Please?” She rubs the bridge of her nose with her pointer finger and thumb and then sighs. I know what she’s thinking. She wishes I were my brother, but I’m not. I will never be like him. We have the same genes, we look a like, but our insides are wired completely different. My mom tells me to have a good day and gestures me out of the car. “You too.” I mumble back to her without thinking. Sometimes we get so accustomed to the same routines that life becomes so predictable. I slam the car door shut and curse the winter air. I crane my neck up at the sign that I see everyday, our tacky colors of green and white reading Central Meymont High School plastered on the side of the building.
I meet Ben and Danika at my locker, they were talking about something important it sounds like by the awkward silence I get when I open the metal door and get my books. Ben and Danika are weird like that, I love them to death but their relationship perplexes me. They have been in love since fifth grade and we are sophomores.
“Gen..” Danika tries.
“Yes?” I answer raising my left eyebrow and ripping my earbuds out of my ears.
“People are talking Geni, about you. About... well,” Ben pauses, his adams apple bobs at the base of his throat. “You’ve heard the rumors baby girl.” Ben has called me baby girl for as long as I can remember, but I don’t remember why.
“If you get caught Geni, you’re going to be kicked off the cheering team. Is all this really worth it?”
“I know.” I say, not answering her question. I grab at random loose papers floating in my locker so that i don’t have to look them in the eyes.“I know.” There is noise all around us, slamming locker doors, the distant laughter of people walking in happy bliss. The bell dings and I grab my books.
“Let’s go,” Danika interrupts the silence. “We’re going to be late for first period.”
I roll my eyes and lull along behind my best friends, school isn’t exactly at the top of my list of priorities. I stumble through the classroom door and sit down at the desk next to Danika. It’s going to be a long day.