Chosen but wanted

Cathy's POV

"Cathy."

"Catherine!"

I groaned and buried my face under two pillows. Seriously, why does the world hate me so early in the morning?

Then....SPLASH. Ice-cold water. Straight in the face.

I shot up, coughing and sputtering.

"What the...."

Molly, of course. Standing there like chaos had a face, grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

"You almost killed me!" I yelled, dripping and shaking.

"Almost. But I didn't," she chirped, twirling a lock of hair. Typical.

"What if I had died, huh? What if you actually killed me?" I flailed, fists clenching.

"Easy-peasy," she bounced. "Midnight. Ocean. Toss."

I rolled my eyes so hard I almost got stuck. "Fuck you."

"I hate you," she called as she skipped off.

Dragging myself out of bed, I shuffled to the bathroom, shaking off the soaking.

By the time I reached the kitchen, Mom was at the stove, humming like breakfast was a sacred ritual. The smell of eggs hit me like a warm hug.

"What's cooking?" I sniffed hopefully.

"Scrambled eggs. Bread. Eat it before it gets cold," Mom said, flipping something without looking at me.

"Smells amazing. Where's Molly?"

"Try the garden."

"Thanks!" I kissed her cheek and ran.

Molly was out there, arms crossed, staring at the sky like she was negotiating world peace with the clouds.

"You miss Dad, don't you?" I asked gently.

Her shoulders stiffened. She didn't answer.

"You know... you can go up there, if you want."

"How?"

I smirked. "Easy-peasy. I kill you, midnight, ocean, toss."

She groaned. "I blame God for bringing us together."

I laughed so hard I almost fell over.

"Mom, you've got a crazy daughter."

"I've got two," Mom said flatly.

"Not me. Molly's the certified lunatic."

"Whatever," Molly muttered, already scheming round two.

Breakfast was chaos-light. I wolfed down eggs and bread, savoring the warmth while plotting my next move. Dishwasher done, I ran to the living room and threw in my favorite K-drama: My ID Is Gangnam Beauty.

I flopped onto the couch, grinning. "I vote for Mi-rae!" I mimicked the male lead, totally wrong about his name, but whatever.

Movie ended. I groaned, popped out the disc, flopped back down for a nap, and buzz. My phone.

Samantha: Why aren't you in school?

"What?" I blinked at the screen, then glanced at the calendar.

Monday.

"Oh shit!"

I bolted to my room, clothes everywhere. "Mom!"

She appeared like magic.

"You sided with Molly, didn't you?" I shoved shoes on.

"Watch your language, girl," Mom said.

"This isn't about language! What did she tell you?"

"She said you weren't having classes today."

I cursed under my breath, grabbed my bag, snatched some cash, and dashed out.

I got to the classroom and every head turned. Great.

"Catherine Paupa, you're late," Mrs. Laura barked

.

"Yeah, clearly," I muttered.

"Why?"

"Guess her dog got lost," some idiot shouted.

"I don't even own a dog, you bald-headed dummy," I shot back.

"No indecent language in my class," Mrs. Laura warned.

"Whatever," I muttered, sliding into my seat.

"Let me guess... Molly again?" Bianca whispered.

Oh right, I should probably introduce myself.

I'm Catherine Paupa. 19. People think I'm a bad-luck bitch, but they're wrong. Sure, I've got a little sister who's basically chaos incarnate, but I've got three amazing besties:

Samantha Wesley, sings like an angel, future music star.

Roselyn Winifred, gorgeous, confident, total playgirl.

Bianca Desmond, obsessed with animals, definitely a future zoologist.

Me? I've got brains. Genius-level, thank you very much.

Class dragged. Mrs. Laura made it worse. Finally, bell. Relief. I grabbed my stuff and headed to the rooftop, our hangout. Bianca followed, Roselyn and Samantha were already laughing at... something.

"Hey," I said, sliding onto the bench.

"Sup?" Roselyn grinned.

"Anything new?"

Samantha opened her mouth. "Yeah, D..." Bianca clamped her hand over Sam's lips.

"See you in the cafeteria!" Bianca dragged Samantha away.

I raised a brow. "What was that about?"

Roselyn shrugged and wandered off. I sighed and followed to the cafeteria.

"So, what's up with you and Samantha?" I asked Bianca.

She shook her head, grinning like she'd just won.

"Weird," I muttered.

"Drake asked her out," Roselyn blurted.

"Wait, what?!"

"Yep. Long-time crush, right?" I whispered to Bianca.

"Um... I'll be right back," she stammered, bolting.

"She just laughed!" Roselyn groaned.

I laughed too. Classic.

"Hi," a voice said behind me. Drake.

"Oh wow, it's really you," I chuckled.

"She's in the girls' bathroom," Roselyn said.

Drake muttered a "thanks" and left.

"You're impossible," Roselyn muttered, shaking her head.

Ten minutes later, Bianca returned, panting.

"What's wrong?" Samantha asked.

"Why'd you tell him where I was?" Bianca snapped.

"You should be thanking me!" Roselyn said.

"For ruining my day?" Samantha groaned.

"So... what did he say? Did you say yes?" I asked, leaning in.

"I messed up. Again," she muttered.

"You need serious training on how to talk to your crush," Samantha said.

"I agree," I added.

"No one asked you," Bianca snapped.

"I second that," Roselyn grinned.

"Ugh, you guys are the worst," Bianca hissed, storming off.

I crammed the last bit of burger into my mouth and ran after her.

By the time I got home, I was dead.

"Mom? Molly?" Silence.

I changed into something comfy and collapsed on my bed. New friend request: Favour Lee.

"Stupid name," I muttered, accepting it.

Favour: Hi. How was your day?

Me: Boring.

He said he'd just moved to Brooklyn and would join school tomorrow. Asked my name. Didn't tell him.

Me: See you in school tomorrow.

Phone tossed aside. Snack time.

"Mom!"

"Molly!"

"You ever try being mature?" Molly scoffed.

"Worrying about my missing family isn't mature enough?"

"You have a phone. Use it instead of disturbing the peace."

"Where's Mom?"

"I just got home, dumbass. How would I know?"

"Watch your mouth," I snapped.

"I'll stop when you stop being dumb," she said, walking off.

How do y'all see the first chapter😊