Chapter I ; Ghosts from your past going to jump out at me. ( Ours – Taylor Swift)

The beginning to one wild ride. TW’s

“Screw this,” Zara said as she put her name on the board. Four years of hellish schooling could pay off. She went to a boarding school �" not to brag �" she had gotten pretty good at it. She was a good kid, known prefect, star student. Friends here and there. She could be the Head girl, rights to her ?

“Ah, Miss Imani, you’re going to try, that’s great! You’d make a great leader,” Out of the blue, the headmistress stood gracefully next to her, her posture straightened immediately. She suppressed a smile to the old woman who honestly could be a grandma. Nodding viciously.

“Oh Izara, no need for the tenseness, I wish you luck, and carry along,”The headmistress smiled and walked away, and Zara could feel the tension release as she let out a heavy sigh as she turned to get to her next class. But as she spun, she bumped straight (but not so) into six feet of human being.

“Hey!” The mysterious yet familiar voice yelped, and Zara stepped multiple steps back. That’s when she noticed who it was. Adelaide Ather.

Izara Imani was not forced to boarding school.

Hell, she actually liked it. True, she despised getting yelled at during her first year, but things got better over time. But what she did not like about boarding school, was Adelaide Ather.

Adelaide, some call her Adel, others call her Ad, but Izara just called her a plain a*****e. Yes, she’ll admit, Adel was hot. Very hot. In fact, she was so hot that if she wasn’t a complete jerk Izara would actually like her. Her school being an all girls school, Adel was as high as bad boy could get. The juniors drooled over her, the older ones too. It was ridiculous.

Yes, Adel, with all her tan skinned, toothpaste ad smile, dark brown locks and eyes, was hated by Izara.

“Uh…. Sorry?”

“Imani. Sorry’s usually don’t have question marks,” Adel crossed her arms and cocked her eyebrow, and Zara began to roll her eyes and clench her fists.

“Ather. Heh, your sorry’s always had them, why can’t mine have them?” Izara tilted her head, but Adel just let out a little chuckle instead.

“Imani, you should know how hard it is to be intimidating when you’re not even a complete five feet tall,” Adel smirked and looked towards the board. And before Zara could say anything, Adel spoke.

“Ahh, joining the schools little game huh? Seems like we’ll spending some more time together won’t we?” Adel tapped her name on the board with the helm of her pen, the name first on the list.

“You’re joining? But-”

“But what? I’m a prefect, I have the rights to join,”

“You know that list is gonna be filtered out by the headmistress right?”

“What? You think she won’t pick me out of the 40? Or, do you just not want me to join because you’re scared, Imani?”

“Ather.” Izara said sternly, not wanting to be reminded of the things in the past.

“Right, right, we’ve put that behind us, I get it, but please do remember, that I always get my way, yeah?” Adel smiled in away that made Izara shiver, because despite being the troublemaker, Adelaide still had skill. And if she made it to top ten. Then Izara would have some trouble up her sleeve.

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Flashback.

“Hey you,” Adel smirked as she slid her chair next to Izara’s.

“God Adel, what do you want now,”

“I don’t know, a kiss, some help with my homework?” Adele flashed a smile as Izara took, her eyes of the computer screen and faced Adel.

“I’m not good multi-tasker, so you’re going to have to pick one,” Izara said with a smirk, already knowing which the brunette would pick.

“One kiss please?” Adel swooped up and left a small peck on Izara’s lips.

Oh how she was played.

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“Hey! Zara!” Nad, a friend of Zara’s stepped next to her, breaking her out of her daydream and indicated that they walk together.

“Hey,” Zara said to her friend who was a couple of inches taller, had thick glasses, sandy brown hair, light brown eyes and commonly stuttered, but was a true stern and disciplined person. Her father was part of the military, so her frame was muscular and her back was always always straight.

“I saw you talking to Adelaide just now, what’s up? Not flirt-”

“Nadia Antin, that was never to be talked about again,” Izara could feel her entire body tense at the memory.

“Yeah, okay, I remember, sorry” Nad pushed her glasses up, a habit when nervous. Nad knew, she knew what happened.

“Let’s just go to class,” Izara turned at the hallway and pushed the door. Yet, despite them being quite late, no one was to be seen.

“Where?” Nad began to question, but then they saw a note on the board.

Mrs. Su’s class to be combined with Miss Faruk’s. #strongertogether

Izara collectively decided that none of the teachers wrote that, and some random kid decided it would be better to put a hashtag at the end. Millennials.

“To Miss Faruk it is,” the two of them made their way to a room a few rooms away, and came to a stop at an almost packed English room. They stepped in, and were immediately screwed.

“Ah! Miss Imani, Miss Antin, you’re just in time! There are two more teams that need one more person! What a coincidence,” Miss Faruk, the tiny English teacher said in a much to cheerful voice.

“Hah! Looks like you and I are teaming up shorty!” Zara heard a familiar voice from across the room. Ather.

“No, no way, I’ll join AJ this time around,” Zara sat next to AJ, a stern, slightly depressed but intelligent person. Nad mouthed a seriously to Zara for leaving her to team with Adel, but all Izara could do was shrug as Nad sadly dragged herself next to Adel, whom was cocking and eyebrow at the tiny brunette across from her. Her hair extremely messy. And Zara knew immediately what the taller girl had been doing 5 minutes before class. God how much Zara wished she didn’t know Adel that well.

“Okay! Then it’s settled! Ready for the debate?” Miss Faruk stood up and clapped her hands together and picked up the marker to write the motion.

“Debate?” Izara said, unprepared looking to AJ, who wore her signature really? face.

“Yes Miss Imani, if you’re going to try to get into the top ten, you’re going to need to speak! So let us begin,” Miss Faruk said in a little to over the top voice as she side stepped for the debaters and the spectators to see.

THBT ‘dating’ should not be common practiced by teenagers.

“Oh! I wanna go opposition!” Said Chelsea, a chubby girl with the ability to speak like some robot of some sort.

“Well alright then! You have 15 minutes to prepare, good luck!” Miss Faruk sat back down and glued her eyes to the phone, not giving anyone the chance to ask anything.

“Well Imani, aren’t you going to get ready? Or have you dealt with the fact that you’re going down,” Adel had a smirk plastered to her face as she let the words fall out of her mouth. Insulting the fair skinned brunette had came naturally to her.

“Oh, you want to go? It’s on Ather, it’s on,” Zara glared at the girl sitting across from her, Nad and Chelsea were looking at the ground, trying to opt out of the conversation.

AJ, Chelsea, Adel, Nad, Imani and Sarah, another friend of theirs quickly shut up and began preparing for the debate. But that didn’t mean that Izara and Adel didn’t glare at each other from time to time, earning more looks from AJ, while Miss Faruk was still glued to her phone. The people that were not participating watched eagerly, waiting for the big fight. Mainly between Adel and Imani, because honestly, everyone in their year knew what happened between them. Just that no one ever mentioned it after it happened.

“Okay class! Times up girls! Are you ready? Well, you have to be, because I’m not going to wait! So, government, who is starting?!” Miss Faruk said in a tone that made everyone jump in shock.

“Me, clearly, these cowards need to learn some stuff from the masters,” AJ said in her usual gruff tone as she stood up and walked to the podium up front.

“Hello. Now, I’m going to go straight to the point. Love is something powerful. To powerful, and that’s why this house believes that power only leads to destruction. Because we are all human beings, and it’s a humans’ natural desire to crave power, thus, any form of love will lead to destruction. Depression and sorrow are emotions that are also, I highlight the the word, powerful. Any form of this power could lead to negative effects, such as abuse, drug use, and others that bring the same harm. Love! It’s useless, only leads to destruction, not just of the lover, but also to the community the lover lives with, like family and such, with this, I rest my case, that teens should not love, for it could effect not just them, but everyone,” The crowd gave an applause as AJ finished her speech, along with a snicker from Adel. And in all honesty, Zara agreed with AJ’s depressed self.

“Now, with continue with our Deputy of Opposition, Miss Ather, please move forward,”

Ather moved to the podium, dark brown eyes not leaving Izara’s blue. The wretched Ather gave a smirked to Izara, which led her into a trance that brought back the best of the worst.

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Flasback.

“Were debating today!” Mrs. Su’s voice cracked at her aggressive yelling.

“Ooh yay! I’m so crushing all of you!” Adel pointed finger guns at the other class, giving a wink to Izara whom returned a smirk.

“Okay then Ather! You want to fight? Then get on the podium, all of you! Move your butts for a non sexual reason for once!” The old teacher screamed in Adel’s direction, her crankiness clear.

“Yes ma’am,” Adel swiftly made her way to the podium, dark brown not leaving dark blue, and of course, smirked. And god. How many people have fallen for that smirk. How Zara fell for that smirk.


“Yeah! And on to the next rebuttal, the Government stated that any form of love leads to depression, but clearly, love, most commonly leads to satisfaction, power, that is correct. But power, can only be felt by the real lovers. People who love, that lead to sorrow are simply weak, vulnerable, and needy,” Zara was caught out of her trance by the words that Ather spoke. She stood up, because she know exactly who Adel was referencing to.

“On that point ma’am! Don’t you think that poeple who feel emotions such as sorrow, are just, human?” Zara sat back down and stared intently at Adel.

“Finally out of your trance huh? On what shortcake here is saying, our house believes that teens should love, so that they can feel these emotions, and that those who surpass it, are the powerful!” Adel pushed at her final sentence, and as she was about to continue, Zara stood again.

“On that statement! You’re twisting your words! Like you al-ways �" do,” Zara flashed her best glare, and Adel simply eyed her from top to bottom while the crowd let out a gasp of shock.

“Well, lets not bring your personal issues into this Imani,” Adel stated bluntly, but Zara’s blood only raged on.

“No! Love is bad! It’s corrupts you, kills you. Unless you’re like Adel! Stealing the love from other people just because you didn’t get enough. That’s the satisfaction she’s talking about! The sex! The pleasure! The gifts! It’s f*****g unrealistic!” Zara accidentally let out the words, all she had been holding in, she regretted it immediately. Everyone was staring, Miss Faruk’s mouth was agape in shock. Zara took a few steps back, the panic attack in her beginning to swell.

“No, no, no, not now, it’s been ten months, I can’t come back now,” Zara could feel her breath unsteady, her hands shaking. Her eyes stung with the feeling of tears. And the fear came rushing back.

“Zara? You look like a ghost,” AJ said bluntly, with the corner of her eye, she could see Nad with a worried look on her face. Because she knew. She knew it all to well.

“Im, fi-” Zara began to feel the pain of holding it in, the swelling in her stomach, she clenched her stomach, trying to hold it in.

“She, uhhh, needs the bathroom! Yes! Bathroom, Zara, me, now!” Nad grabbed Zara’s hand as they hurried to the bathroom. Where they crashed into Angela, another close friend. But Zara couldn’t take the impact. Tears streamed of her cheeks like waterfalls, and no one could do anything. Zara hated it, god she hated Adelaide, but she hated herself more, for the way she felt, the way she acted. She despised it with every cell in her body.

“Oh Zara, you’re not over her, aren’t you?” Angela, turned back from the door to comfort Zara whom was clutching her chest on the floor, unable to do anything but cry. For what? Zara never understood.

“I- I �" I, am. Bu- bu �" but she keeps hurting �" me, it’s cray- zy,” Zara finally found the ability to speak, but her stomach still ached horribly.

“No, it’s called PTSD and you’re going to get through it, she treated you bad, I know,” Angela said as she and Nad helped Zara sit up, Nad running circles on Zara’s bad.

“But, it was so little, too little, but, it, it freaking killed me,” Zara brought her knees to her chest. While commotion erupted in Miss Faruk’s class.

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“Why do I keep f*****g up?!” Adel kicked the chair across the room, AJ only side stepped to dodge.

“Because you’re a f**k up, so everything you do, is, well, a f**k up,” AJ shrugged, being Adel’s right hand person since first year, it came naturally.

“F**k you! I want to be not a f**k up, around her especially! I already fucked her up!”

“Yeah, you also fucked her,”

“You’re not helping!” Adel kicked yet another chair, and it was sent crashing into another corner.

Aria, another friend of Adel’s, took up the seat that was once Zara’s and sighed. Blonde locks and pale skin, piercing grey eyes staring at her friend.

“Why would you want to? I mean, you broke up with her?,” Aria stared at her friend, whom was shooting glares at random students. One clinging to the door to watch out for Miss Faruk, who had ran off to see the headmistress.

“Because I ruined her life! And I keep doing it! I can’t live with the guilt!” Adel swung her hands around in frustration.

“Or, is it that you can’t live with her?” Sarah, a dark skinned curly haired girl whom was sitting next to Nad earlier.

“I f*****g can Sarah! I didn’t love her! I was- I was,” Adel huffed and puffed, trying to figure out what to say.

“Exactly,” Sarah continued, stressing her words with a smirk as AJ chuckled.

“Oh! And you’re going to laugh?” Adel glared at AJ, who, if even let out a chuckle, it was the closest you could ever get to a laugh.

“Oh come on, there’s no way, you are still in love with her,” Aria said as she rolled her eyes at the catastrophe of the relationship which was Zara’s and Adel’s. A beautiful mess from the start.

“F**k this! You know what! I have an idea,” Adel crossed her arms and nodded to herself. The other kids trying to pretend like they had not heard anything.

“I’m getting into the top ten games, no one can stop me. No one.” Adel glared at specifically no one, Sarah grinned, Aria rolled her eyes. And AJ, was just, well, AJ.

“Good luck,” Aria said, crossing her legs and arms.

But I’m not going anywhere.