Chapter 1
Katrina's POV:
'Buzzzzz' shouts my by IntelliTerm"> alarm clock. The annoying sound of my alarm clock warned me to wake up before my Nana starts shouting from downstairs. The worst part of waking up this morning is that it's Monday, not any ordinary" bloody" Monday but the first day of my senior year!!!Ugh!
“Kat wake up its 7” my Nana shouted from downstairs. I half-heartedly pushed the sheets aside and got out of my warm and cosy by IntelliTerm"> by IntelliTerm"> bed. I went to the bathroom to take a nice warm bath, brushed my teeth and pulled a green tank top with jet black forever 21 by IntelliTerm"> shorts and black converse. I hurriedly tied my long black hair in a high ponytail, put on a little mascara and lip gloss and ran downstairs.
Morning in our house was a mess. Being an Indian family, breakfast is a big fuss here. My family was habitual to highly greasy paranthas and extra spicy curries but my little stomach is reluctant to this alien concept of food. Maybe that was because of the fact that i am half Indian and half American.
My dad moved to by IntelliTerm"> America with his family many years ago and married my mom Elizabeth. So I inherited the best of both worlds. My parents died in car crash when i was 5, so I and my elder brother Rick moved in with my dad's family . My dad's brother Vikram and his wife Tara are like my second parents and their only daughter Nikita was the sister I never had.
But the one person that I thanked god for sending in my life was my Nana. She was my confidante and my rock .She was nowhere close to the concept of a 75 year old conservative Indian woman. She was cool, smart and an American in all possible ways.
“What's for the breakfast?” I asked nana who was busy cooking some yellow curry. “Stuffed paranthas and curd.” She replied. I gave her a look, indicating to tell me what actually is there for 'my' breakfast. “I made banana pancakes” she said. I smiled and grabbed a plate to get some pancakes. I really love her. She always cooked separate meal every time for me as she knows I can't eat the food, the rest of the family eats.
“So you finally gonna do something about the Sam thing this year, this might be your last chance.” What did i just told you?!! .
“Maybe ...Ugh i don't know it's hard to confess your secret love of 6 years to your brother's best friend's brother.”
Sam Ryder was the guy I had been crushing on since 6th grade .He was the younger brother of Rick's best buddy Danielle. He was also a senior but two years older than me. He was the reason for my misery for the last six years.
“But you have to do something I mean its senior year. After that who knows where you two might end up. You have got to take a chance.” She said in one single breath that made me think that she almost had a stroke.
“Yeah I know. I should try. Okay.. I will try.” I said with a confident that always goes poof whenever I face Sam. “Yeah we will see pussy cat” said Nikita from the kitchen table.
“Says a girl who can't tell her own mom she is seeing someone” I scoffed. “SHHHHH” She shushed me giving deadly glare. Nikita was seeing some American guy from work behind the back of her suspicious mother. She couldn’t tell her family about him except Nana for the fear of giving heart attack to her mother. “Would you just shut up” she hissed fearing her mother might be hearing.
“Now who's a pussy cat” I said giving a sneaky smirk to her. I finished my pancakes, grabbed my bag and keys of my Mini Cooper S and headed out of the door. I started my car and drove to Chapel hills high school.
I parked my car in the first row of the parking lot facing the Administration building. It was my favourite spot due to ease of driving the car out of there without mastering the art of car backing.
“Katrina Beckett, You are five minutes late” I heard a determined voice from my back. I turned around to face Crystal who was standing crossing her arms up against her chest with a big frown on her forehead.
“I know and I am not sorry coz it's just five minutes princess” I said rolling my eyes.
“Where's Brooke” I asked Crystal while picking my bag from the car. “Here , I was busy getting this year's schedule for the classes unlike someone who was pouting and waiting for you to poke ‘you are late’ in your face” said Brooke coming from the opposite side of the parking lot making cocky eyes at Crystal .
Brooke and I were best friends since kinder garden. We literally grew up together and began to see each other as sisters. She was a girl, guys would kill to have - smart, mature, free spirited and confident.
Crystal befriended us in 5th grade when she moved from Denver to North Carolina. She was complete opposite to me, wild, loud and life of the party.
“Whatever, we all decided we will meet sharp at 8 at the school entrance and you was five minutes late” said Crystal looking at me with a pout face.
“I am here, let's go now” I said. The campus was really crowded that day. Everyone was busy with their stuff, registering for classes, getting schedules, orientations etc.
“So here we are, senior year” said Brooke looking at the lecture building with dreamy eyes. “It is so exciting. Can't believe we survived this long” said Crystal with a cheerful excitement on her face.
'Yeah, senior year. Probably my last year, having Sam around. Maybe I will never see him again'. Even the thought of this was enough to throw my good mood out of the window.
“Final year, let's do this people” said Brooke and Crystal in unison.
“Oh! Btw i dumped my jerk boyfriend yesterday” said Crystal grinning. “First smart deed of the year, good going” said Brooke giving high five to her.
“Speaking of the jerk, where is he by the way” I said meandering my eyes across the campus.
“Right here 'basket'” said Ian walking undeviating towards us with a lopsided smile plastered all over his face.
I groaned at the stupid nickname he picked for me, which I also secretly liked because it reminds me how often I kick his ass at the game of basketball.
I turned around to see Ian approaching towards us from the football ground. He was entirely covered in sweat due to his early football practise.
Ian Walter was my childhood buddy just like Brooke, actually we all three grew up together. Our families were really close which helped binding our friendship stronger.
Ian was handsome, snarky and charming, standing 5'9" in height with a well-built toned physique. He believed in doing things on a whim, without giving a thought to what people think of him.
He was the quarterback of the football team and the sole reason for Chapel Hills making it to the state championship last year but I always beat him when it comes to basketball. Girls practically threw themselves at him which was a real boost to his ego size Canada.
But he had a sensitive side which was only vulnerable to me.
“Ah! Look if it isn't the Ian SLUT Walker.” Brooke grimaced giving him a deadly glare and cocky eyes.
“Well Hello to you too Miss cranky pants. Looks like somebody is PMSing today” he teased Brooke giving his signature lopsided grin.
Oh yeah, these two had a little back story too. Ian and Brooke started dating last summer after hooking up at Crystal's birthday bash. But Ian being a dedicated 'slut' couldn't say no to drunken Rachel Walts and ended up in her bed.
They were broken up recently and the water was still not under the bridge.
“People, Please be nice to each other. Why don't you two burn the hatchet and move on. New Year, New life.” I said swinging my arms in a cheerful manner hoping to cut the tension between those two.
“No way missy!! You have got to choose team Brooke or team Ian, better be team Brooke coz the captain of the other team is a shameless man whore” said Brooke with enraged voice to me.
“Can't let go of me can you?” he goaded looking at fuming Brooke who seemed would run a huge monster truck over Ian any second now.
“You two should really get a room to release the left over sexual tension so that you two can stand each other” chimed Crystal with a sneaky smile.
I really hoped that they sort things out coz I can't choose any one of them. Also it would be really bad if we lose the friendship we three shares over some stupid hook up thing.
Actually I never really liked the idea of them dating in the first place. They both were quite alike and Brooke being a strong minded person should be with someone easy unlike Ian, and as they say opposite attracts and similar repels.
Although it was great listening Brooke talking about her new found fascination for Ian. She kept talking for hours about how Ian is this, Ian is that. How she never thought about him like that before, acting like a totally love sick puppy. Sometimes I got envious of her for being in love.
I wondered how it would like to be in a relation with Sam. The first date, walking hand in hand at water's edge park, late night talks, the first kiss.
I never dated anyone so I was unfamiliar to these things.
Will I ever be able to tell him how I feel for him?
I was so lost in my thoughts that I flinched when Crystal elbowed me to look across the parking lot. I spun around wondering who she was pointing to, when a tall figure emerged out from black Chevy nova.
It was none other Sam Ryder. He was wearing a white basic Diesel T-shirt which was layered over by a black button up shirt paired with grey denims and black sneakers. The collar of his shirt was drawing more attention to his face and shoulders making him look even more appealing. His shaggy brown hair was perfectly trimmed to a medium length with a fringe which made him look even cuter.
My heart started pounding with uncontrollable rhythm as he started approaching us. I always get nervous whenever Sam was around. I felt all the blood in my body, trotting towards my cheeks making them look redder than tomatoes.
“Hey” he said with a slow approaching smile eyeing Brooke.
“Hey, how was the summer?” replied Brooke with a teasing tone which I construed was intended for me.
Brooke and Sam became really good friends since they bonded at the adventure camp in 9th grade which I didn’t attend because I fell sick. I have a great luck when it comes to these things, you know L
“It was good, spend some time at the folks in California although, I really missed Chapel Hills.” Sam retorted.
“Huh, so you missed Chapel Hills only. And here I was thinking that you might have missed me” said Crystal with a flirty voice eyeing Sam.
I hate when she does it .Ugh!!
Sam just smiled without saying anything and slowly turned his emerald green pairs of eyes towards me.
“Hey” he said looking straight in my eyes. My entire body tensed up at the euphonious voice. My heart started pounding at such a high pace that I dreaded it will come out of my body any instant and fall on the ground.
“Hi” I muttered slowly with a slanted glance at his face. It was the only thing that could come out of my mouth. I always tried to utter fewer words whenever he was around because I always stammer when I get nervous which makes me look stupid and I really didn’t want him to think of me as one.
It's crazy how much he affected me .If only he knew.
“I should get going. See you later” Sam announced shrugging his shoulders nervously to Brooke and went straight towards lecture block.
A pang of jealously hit me seeing my best friend being all bff with the guy that I couldn’t even talk to without stammering.
“Hi? Couldn't you pull out some more words out of the large vocabulary you built for your PSAT” Brooke glowered at me with a furrowed forehead.
“Like that was gonna do any good” I mumbled.
“Why do you get star stuck in front of him, he is no R-Pattz or Bradley Cooper .You should be able to talk to him at least.” Crystal said amusingly.
“Whatever. I don’t know what you see in him. He is just a 6 feet frame with a shaggy top” scoffed Ian who was being ignorant to Sam the entire time he was with us.
Ian and Sam were not really fond of each other and couldn't even stand each other. There has always been an ice cold dead end among them. This might be because they were always competing for the same position on the school's football team.
“Definitely not what I saw in you” Brooke groaned looking away from him.
“Puh...lease you two, don’t start again. It's annoying.” I said screeching with exasperation making my way to the classroom.
