The Best Friend Syndrome
An Original Novel
The Prologue In Which I Just Give You An Overview Of Her LifeIf you came here, looking to know about me, you came to the wrong place.
This isn't a story about me falling in love with some guy or turning into some monster that eats people or about how I'm secretly the smartest kid in the school. No, it's not about me... It's about my best friend, Novia. This chick she's a little... Different. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's gorgeous and nice - sometimes - and all, but... Who the hell even wears that kind of make-up? And another thing... Sorry. I'm getting ahead of myself. This is supposed to be me telling her story because, well... Obviously it had to be pretty awesome, right? Well, that and she also promised to buy me a house if I did it and there is no way in Hell I'm turning down a perfectly good house of my own choosing in exchange for one lousy book. The world can read about the wonders of Novia Quake-Sprakels and her pale ass husband, Criss, for the rest of eternity, if you ask me. I'll be rocking in the Bahamas. Long before I met Novia, she lived in the really hot terrains of Florida. I say this sarcastically, because one time my parents shipped me off to live with my cousins in Australia for five days and I'm fairly sure I still am sunburned from the event. Also, I lost my brand new iPod to an emu. It was unfortunate and I refused to ever go there, again. Also, my uncle smells terrible. I'm pretty sure he's never showered in his life. Back to Novia, she grew up most of her life in Florida with her loving mom and her understanding father. When she turned thirteen, they decided to make a responsible adult decision and get a divorce, both reminding her that they loved her and that it wasn't her fault, they just didn't love each other anymore. I mean, it's understandable that she would still feel guilty - Kids always do - but I mean... At least she didn't have to wait for it to get to the point where they were screaming and yelling at each other every night and throwing things at the wall. How the hell is someone supposed to be able to sleep through that? Before she moved to our little home in Nowhereville, New York, I had a couple of friends - mostly guys, really. Tangent was a little asian kid who never shut up. That's actually where he got his nickname. I think he's actually called Rhodey or something, but not even the teachers call him that, so... And the other guy I hung out with was Ross. Ross was sweet and kind of an idiot about some things - Like girls, for instance - but he knew his school lessons well enough to get by. I always thought he was gay, to be fairly honest. I mean, Tangent was definitely only in this group to be with the ladies, but... Ross was more of a friend than a romantic option. On occasion, we'd invite Harold or Stephanie to join us, but they were kind of an established couple and I ended up fifth wheeling most of the time they were around. You think it's bad to be third wheeling? Try it when you've got two couples you can't talk to and one of them includes Ross. And then came Novia Sprakles and her weird as hell name and her pretty face and her obsession with Criss Quake. Yeah, I know. Who the hell is naming these people, right? Novia entered Vladture High School - Home of the Bloodsuckers! How original! - and promptly stood in the middle of the cafeteria and stared at our table, daring us to invite her over. "Hi," the head cheerleader, Rory, greeted her. Rory was a pretty nice person. Our groups didn't really go all well together, but... Hey. Some people just don't mesh, right?, "You must be the new student we've been hearing about. Would you like to come sit with me and my friends?" "Um. No," she stuck up her nose, "You're blonde." "Yeah? And?" Rory raised an eyebrow. "Blondes are stupid," Novia returned, "You're rubbing it off on me, PomPom Whore. Get lost. I don't want to talk to you." "Okay. Jeez," Rory turned away, not really sure how to handle the information. "She's hot," Tangent stared at her, mesmerised. Ross's tongue hung out of his mouth a bit and I glared at the both of them. "She's kind of a bitch," I replied, "Did you not just see what she did to Rory?" "Rory is a stupid pop," Ross countered, "She had it coming." "What?" I demanded, "Rory is a sweet girl. You guys are idiots." "You should go invite her to sit with us," Tangent suggested. "Hell no!" I refused, "I don't need to be insulted... No thank you." "Don't be such a pussy," Ross challenged, "Just do it." "You're an ass," I huffed. "Well, they say you are what you eat," Tangent grinned. "Oooh!" I highfived him, "Nice!" "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not gay?" Ross demanded. "Until it actually becomes true," I returned, standing up. I touched my own brown hair, hesitantly, once before pushing it back and walking across the room to greet Novia. "Um. Hey. You must be new here," I held out my hand to her, "My name's Jessica." "I was wondering when you were going to invite me over," Novia stated, brushing past me, "We're gonna be best friends now, okay?" "Oh, um..." I blinked, confused, "Alright... Sure, I guess." She sat down in my spot between Ross and Tangent, leaving no chair for me. I passed Rory's table on the way to my own and noticed there was an extra there. "Hey, Roars?" I asked. She looked up and smiled at me. "Hey, Jess. What's up?" she replied. "Is anyone using this chair? I kind of lost mine..." I pointed it out. She glanced around me at the invader that had stolen my spot and my friends. "Oh," Rory frowned, "She's um... Charming, isn't she?" "Yeah, I guess," I laughed, "Sorry about that earlier, by the way. You're not stupid." "Thanks, Jess," she smiled, "It's nice of you to say so. You could come sit with us, if you'd like." "No, thanks," I rubbed the back of my neck, "That's alright. I, uh... Have to go save my stupid boys from doing something they'll regret." "Such a hero," Rory smiled, gesturing towards the chair, "It's all yours." "Thanks," I took it and was about to turn away. "Oh, and Jess?" Rory said, making me turn to see her with a smirk on her face, "Call me sometime." "Yeah, I..." I backed into the the chair, eyes widening, "I'll do... Call..." Needless to say, I got out of there and ran back to my own table. "Hey, Jessica," Ross turned at my arrival, "You missed Novia's story about her tragic past." This was how I learned her incredibly strange first name. "It was so sad," Tangent was actually crying. I groaned. "Why were you talking to the blonde slut, Jessica?" Novia demanded, "I thought we were best friends." "She's really not that bad," I replied, trying not to snarl at her. "You can't talk to her or see her anymore," Novia commanded. "You can't tell me what to do," I growled. "Excuse me?" she raised an eyebrow. "Don't listen to her, Novia!" Tangent quickly said, "She didn't mean it! She'll do whatever you'll say!" "Of course she will, right, Jessica?" Ross added. I looked between them, betrayed. They all looked at me, expectantly. "Um... Yeah," I muttered, "Right. I won't talk to her, anymore." Novia smiled. "Goodie! Now... Who wants to talk about my sudden interest in..." She looked around the room and pointed to the first boy that she saw, "Him!" I followed her finger to Criss Quake. He was kind of cute, sure, but he was a loner and pretty much hated everyone. Half the student body believe the stupid rumor that he was actually some kind of murderer. I think he was just a loser with a strong dislike in sunlight, going by his pale as hell skin. I laid my head on the table. This was going to be quite an exciting friendship already... I could tell. ------ Catty: I'd love to get some actual comments and suggestions on how to improve my work, if anyone is willing to help... I'll post Chapter One as soon as I can. I should probably also clarify that this story is kind of going to become a bit of a vampire story due to Novia and Criss' idea that he's a vampire, but Jessica believes it's a load of crap and, as the main character in this story, it will more reflect what she thinks than what they think. |